Arsenal prepare Houssem Aouar transfer on bargain deal

You may remember him from such transfer stories as ‘I know what Arsenal didn’t do last summer’ and ‘Honey, I shirked this deal’, but back for another bite of the cherry it appears as if a new offer is being launched for none other than Houssem Aouar.

The trace for Aouar went cold very quickly. For about six months he was the most wanted man in north London with every Twitter display picture some variation of the Frenchman wearing an Arsenal shirt.

Mikel Arteta’s side, desperate for creative reinforcements this summer, have been linked with every man and his dog. The likes of Martin Odegaard now appear beyond the Gunners reach while newfound adoration for James Maddison for £60m would also, well…appear beyond their reach. At least financially.

Thus enter Houssem Aouar, who is absolutely nothing like the aforementioned duo.

Arsenal prepare Houssem Aouar transfer on bargain deal with Lyon selling midfielder for cut-price £20m in summer window

Fans were pining for his signature so intently that when Lyon’s huge £55m asking price (it was actually closer to £45m unlike what the report states) proved a step too far for Arsenal they switched attentions to a defensive midfielder for £10m less. Logic.

Since then, Aouar has gone off the boil and off most supporters’ wishlists. Starting only 23 Ligue 1 matches last term due to a combination of lost form and injury, he’s drifted away from the public eye. Not Arsenal’s, it would seem, at least according to Jordan Davies of The Sun.

A dreadful source indeed; but one that has surprisingly been accurate with some Arsenal transfer news so far this summer.

From a financial point of view, it’s little surprise that Arsenal still have a vested interest in Aouar, considering his asking price has slashed by more than half to a measly £20m in just less than 12 months. Lyon are in dire straits financially (should have sold him the first time, eh Aulas?) and issues with TV licensing in France have made Ligue 1 a pet shop of desirable player options to pick up and take home.

As per the report, Arteta’s side are readying a £100k-per-week contract for the 22-year-old (it’s rare that such information gets leaked) and are ahead of the race in regards to other interested parties.

The general consensus is that Aouar has been distinctly worse than he was in 2019/20, a statement that isn’t quite as true as some may lead you to believe. Let’s take a look.

Continued…

Houssem Aouar is Still a Very Good Player

Aouar has not turned bad overnight. Far from it. His underlying metrics have may dropped in certain areas but where he is strong, he is still very strong. Looking at it one way – which is not the right way to do this – he hasn’t become £25m worse.

A progressive carrier and progressive passer, he still sits in the 85th and 88th percentiles for both respectively, regularly passing and dribbling into the final third with silky success. His movement is still sharp, he can still receive the ball on the half-turn and spin an opponent in a flash and his dribbling success rate and volume is still high and mighty.

Drifting out onto the left on occasion too, his vision from wide areas complements his eye for a pass centrally. He doesn’t defend a great deal, at least not well, nor does he press the ball, but he does sit in the 80th percentile for tackles in the final third.

What the allure is and still remains is in his chance creation. For both shot-creating actions and goal-creating actions he is 91st percentile worthy. The standout among them all is his SCA from defensive actions, which is a top level 99th percentile. That’s intelligent tackling in the right zones and counter-pressing not just for the sake of it.

In terms of numbers Aouar performed better than in 2019/20, scoring seven goals and notching three assists in Ligue 1, but the truth is he wasn’t as effective as the previous season. Nonetheless, player don’t turn sour that quickly. While the reasons for that can vary, they generally don’t boil down to ‘he’s not very good anymore’.

Do Arsenal need him, though?

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Do Arsenal Need Houssem Aouar?

Who would turn their nose up at someone who’s at a great age, is European proven, has been scouted long enough by the club to know his ability and is available for an absolute bargain at £20m?

There is a degree of tempering that needs doing with this talk since it’s been previously mentioned that Aouar would cost around £25-£30m – it was more in January – but at the same time, given how hell-bent Arteta was on securing the Frenchman last season it would come across as very odd if there wasn’t at least some minor discussions about his availability 12 months down the line.

At present Arsenal look like bidding farewell to three central midfielders: Matteo Guendouzi, Lucas Torreira and Granit Xhaka are all certain departees, and could be followed by further outgoings.

That leaves space in that area but Aouar is not someone to suit one half of a double pivot. He also hasn’t shown signs or been given chance to play as a No. 10 in a 4-2-3-1. So where does he fit in?

An offensive No. 8 with dashes of a wide creator and central operator thrown in, he’s someone best suited to a three man midfield, whether as a 4-3-3 or a 3-5-2 variation. Arteta has wanted to make the shift to a three man midfield and Aouar on an absolute bargain deal would strengthen his case to do so.

However, such opportunities don’t present themselves all too often. Ligue 1, just like Lyon, are in disarray and Les Gones’ failure to qualify for the Champions League has dented their finances even further.

Sometimes you can’t pass up players of his quality on such prices. They do, of course, have to fit into the system the club wants to utilise but Aouar is a versatile midfielder who could be moulded one way or another depending on what the manager desires.

If it’s £20m though, surely that’s too good to turn down?