Pete O’Rourke has claimed that Arsenal were ‘messed around’ by Lyon last summer in their bid to sign Houssem Aouar, but have returned with a lowball €20 Million.
The Gunners did sign Martin Odegaard on loan in January, after switching to a 4-2-3-1 formation which accommodated an attacking midfielder, but the Norwegian international is expected to stay with his parent club Real Madrid going into the upcoming campaign.
That certainly leaves room for a new addition for the role, with Emile Smith Rowe our only option who comes naturally into that position at present, although you could argue that the French midfielder is better suited to a deeper role.
Aouar could most definitely fit the mould of our squad, and bring that creativity that our team craves, and O’Rourke claims that we have returned for his signature this summer, although our current offer is unlikely to have ruffled the French giants feathers.
“He’s a talented player Aouar,” Pete told the Football Terrace Podcast(via the Express).
“They did get messed around a bit by Lyon, which didn’t go down too well with the Arsenal hierarchy.
“But he’s a talented player, I think he’d be happy to make the move to the Premier League and talks have happened between the two clubs.
“Arsenal have made a cheeky bid of around €20 Million, which is never going to be enough for a player like Houssem Aouar.
“I think Lyon are holding out for closer to €30 or €35 Million for this deal to happen.”
Aouar is certainly an exciting option to add to our teamsheet, with us having lacked creativity at times, but the way the situation faltered out last summer, I’m not sure the two clubs would be able to meet on the same page.
Will Lyon have to change their stance for this deal to have any real possibility? Is there better options out there for a similar price?
Patrick