It was well documented in the summer that Mikel Arteta was hoping to add more creative options to the clubs midfield, and high up on that list of targets was 22-year-old Lyon midfielder, Houssem Aouar.
The Frenchman was the subject of official bids from Arsenal but the clubs and agents involved could ultimately not find a final solution in the closing daysof the transfer window.
With the transfer window now set to reopen in January, Arsenal will again be looking at the situation of Aouar. It’s an interesting one and perhaps a situation that could see Lyon willing to accept a lower fee that they demanded in the summer. Why? Because according to L’Equipe, the player has recently fallen out with management at the club, something which saw him excluded from the squad altogether this weekend.
In the previous game for Lyon against Angers, Aouar was an unused substitute for Lyon. This clearly angeed him and the player then regused to engage with the post match warm down training sessions. Lyon have not taken favourably to this and therefore left him out the squad this weekend.
It’s possible that this whole poor relationship started because of the fact Aouar did not get the move he wanted in the summer. January now presents an intriguing opportunity from Arsenal’s point of view. They may wish to test the waters with a lower bid than what they submitted in the summer.