Arsenal transfer stance on Maddison, Aouar & Odegaard revealed

Arsenal Opinion on Houssem Aouar Summer Deal

A name that has been in and out of the rumour mill ever since Arsenal’s strong interest arose last summer, the case of Houssem Aouar is an intriguing one.

Having showed willingness to pay £35m for the Frenchman 12 months ago, he is now not only available once more, but also at a snip of the price.

On the market for around €25m due to Lyon’s financial predicament brought upon by the coronavirus pandemic, the French TV rights farce and their failure to qualify for this season’s Champions League, his name has been discussed at Arsenal.

However, concerns raised in the Gunners’ scouting and background checks on the 22-year-old have seen the case go cold. Very cold. There are still admirers in and around London Colney who see the deal as an excellent market opportunity to sign a top talent on a bargain fee, but if the trio are being listed it would be fair to say Aouar is third on it.

Arsenal have even inquired about the possibility of a loan move, which if is the case screams indecision and a lack of confidence in the player. The temporary deals must stop. Sign or look elsewhere.

There are more players that the Gunners could turn to. While numerous names have been mentioned throughout the window, all of them are seen as last ditch targets only in the extreme circumstance of the three aforementioned being unavailable and the season getting off to a calamitous start.

Smith Rowe could suffer an injury that would be nothing short of catastrophic, as well as the same blunt final third chance creation limiting Arsenal’s attacking output. So far this pre-season, little suggests that there has been an improvement in that department.

Looking at the whole scenario, there is a growing air of ‘Odegaard on deadline day’ about the elusive creative midfield transfer.

The clock ticks, and so does patience.