Kerala Blasters FC have completed the signing of Moroccan Midfielder, Karim Benarif, on a short-term deal till the end of the season, the club announced on Sunday. The Moroccan is the first signing of the Ashley Westwood era at the Blasters. The Blasters, who were lacking a reliable creator from the deep, will be expecting Karim to strengthen the midfield. Let’s take a look at all you need to know about the 33 y/o Midfielder:
Career History
Karim started his senior career at AS FAR Rabat in the Moroccan first tier, spending 3 seasons as a member of the Al-Asakir before making the move to their city rivals, FUS Rabat in 2016. He spent 6 seasons at the club, where he shared the dressing room along with the likes of Ahmed Jahouh. Ahead of the 2022/23 season, he made his third club change, moving to Mouloudia d’Oujda.
This would be his last stint in Morocco till now, as the Moroccan was transferred in by Al-Najaf FC in the Iraq Stars League (Iraqi first tier) for the 23/24 season before moving to Karbala’a FC in the same league just months later for an undisclosed fee. He finished the 24/25 season with 30 appearances, 1 goal and 4 assists, but unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to rescue the team from getting relegated.
Fast forward to 2026, and he finds himself at the shores of the Queen of the Arabian Sea, ready to make an impact in Yellow.
Playing Style
Karim shares a lot of similarities with your regular Moroccan midfielder in ISL – He’s Good on the Ball, has the ability to break and make play, and is a reliable set-piece taker. But there is one ability of his that could be game-changing for this current KBFC side, that being his ability to convert defense into offense. Benarif is a player who has been relied on by his previous sides to progress the ball from defense into viable offensive zones, and with the Blasters flopping in transition phases in the ongoing season, his presence could be of crucial importance to this squad.
An all-rounder in the Midfield – Benarif has shown the ability to play in defensive, attacking and center midfield roles, making him a crucial presence in the squad for his previous clubs. To be more technical, Karim is a player who can start as a no. 6, no. 8 or maybe even a no. 10 or as an SS in a free role (Yes, just like how Luna was used by Ivan in the 22/23 season) or even a wing midfielder if needed.
But Benarif is mostly seen to be utilized somewhat as either a deep lying playmaker or a box-to-box midfielder due to his ability to make progressive passes and hold & carry the ball for decent distances. Benarif has also shown the ability to shield the ball decently under pressure and break the press via sharp turns or quick passes, and is also a vocal presence on the pitch, even earning himself the Captain’s armband on several occasions.
Where would he fit into Westwood’s system?
In our previous article about Ashley Westwood, we said that he demands a no. 8 who can play as a no. 10 if needed, and Benarif fits that bill with his aforementioned qualities. The versatility and experience of Karim as a midfielder, along with his great passing range provides a reliable midfield general for the Westwood system, esp. when involving vertical play.
Ashley also requests a level of physicality from his players, which we think Karim can provide as well. Based on all of these factors, our team expects that Karim could be playing a pivot role in the midfield for Ashley Westwood, if the latter decides to use a 4-4-2 or a 4-2-3-1. His versatility is a key element here as he can be pushed either up or down the field from these roles as per each game’s/tactical change demands.
What are his Pros and Cons?
Pros:
- Versatile: A point we mentioned earlier, Karim is a versatile player. Benarif has shown the ability to play anywhere in midfield, and maybe even on the wings (note: not a proper winger, has been used as a creative winger in 4-2-3-1 and SS but very rarely) if needed.
- Experience: Karim Benarif arrives with plenty of experience in the Moroccan first tier, a league whose players have been highly successful in India. He also has recent experience in the Iraq Stars League, one of the better leagues in the AFC, which was recently ranked as the sixth-best Arab football league.
- Transition Mastery: Karim, as we mentioned earlier, has played as what could be called a primary transition initiator in many of his former clubs. With Kerala Blasters failing in buildup situations quite often, Karim’s ability to convert defense into attack could not only reduce the errors but could also open up a lot of untapped attacking possibilities for the Blasters.
- Reliable Set-Piece Taker: While the Blasters do have a reliable set-piece taker in Ebindas, Karim can sharpen the set-piece situations and provide more options with his passing range. Karim is also a decent penalty taker, which adds a new dimension to the Blasters’ set-piece department.
Cons:
- Creator not Scorer: This is not even a minor concern, but in this season where the Blasters are struggling to score goals, Benarif can help with his creativity, but he should not be expected to solve the Blasters goal scoring troubles on his own.
- Creator not Carrier: While we mentioned Benarif’s carrying ability earlier, we should also mention that Benarif isn’t a player who takes on all players and tries to go all the way. He is mostly seen to carry the ball for short distances before attempting a quick pass to lay it off.
- Reliance on Teammates: Karim is a reliable distributor of the ball, but he needs to have a passing option around him first to launch the ball to them. While this sounds like an irrational concern, it is to be noted that the Blasters have shown very little off-the-ball movement this season, and without good runners to aim for, Karim’s passing abilities will be wasted here.
- Adaptation to Indian Conditions: This is a classic, so I don’t think I need to explain this much. The league is already at its halfway point, and the sooner Karim can adapt to the Indian Conditions, the better.
Who will make way?
This might be a question many KBFC fans would be having, as Karim is currently the 7th foreign player in this Blasters squad, meaning someone will have to be sacrificed. While the club is yet to announce who is getting sacrificed for their own planning blunders, the speculations on who will be leaving have already begun. The last update on this topic was shared by the highly reputed TOI journalist, Marcus Mergulhao, who replied that, quote: “Nothing decided yet. A call will be taken after evaluation, some more days of training.” So all in all, let’s wait and watch.
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