Arsenal transfer stance on Maddison, Aouar & Odegaard revealed

Arsenal will sign a creative midfielder this summer. If they don’t then they might as well start charging £500 for a matchday ticket since the position is so imperative to what is hoped to be achieved this season that supporters will feel derailed enough to not turn up.

Perhaps not that extreme, but there is no doubting how unbelievably important bringing in another No. 10 is in order to share the playmaker mantle with Emile Smith Rowe and provide Arsenal with some creative punch in the final third.

With dashes of Patient X and Patient Y, the ever-presents in this ongoing pursuit have been Martin Odegaard and James Maddison.

The latter entered the fray later on in the window as it grew less likely that a deal for the Norwegian would be viable, and has not left the headlines since.

Arsenal transfer stance on James Maddison, Houssem Aouar & Martin Odegaard revealed as Mikel Arteta eyes creative midfielder in summer window

From reputable sources all the way to Gavin down the pub, everyone has been under the illusion that Mikel Arteta is strongly interested in the Leicester man and someone he is actively pursuing this summer. All of which is true. Arteta does like Maddison and contacts have been made.

But does he like him as much as he likes Odegaard? Seemingly not.

As per The Athletic, Maddison is a player whom Arsenal have been watching this summer, albeit not with the same vigour as most have been lead to believe.

It’s stated that intermediaries, which have been widely reported as being involved in the discussions, are pushing for this more than Arsenal actually are. The term ‘match-making’ has been used, one that signals this is, to use a football analogy, like a goalkeeper making a save for the cameras.

Maddison is not someone the club are actively pursuing at this moment in time and Arsenal, for all the will of others, aren’t on the same wavelength as the rest. The £60m+ fee would be difficult for the club to navigate around but it’s the 24-year-old’s wages that are the biggest sticking point.

Ben White, while costing £50m, is on a modest salary and an attempt to lower the overall wage bill is among the considerations this summer. That’s probably something that should have been thought about prior to Willian and Cedric.

While not a dead in the water deal, as of yet there is no concrete movement on this deal. Various other outlets have reported otherwise.

So, what about Odegaard?

Continued…

Arsenal See Martin Odegaard as Their Number One Transfer Target

Arsenal are still holding out for the 22-year-old’s signature this summer and are willing to bide their time to get a deal over the line. Having made it clear to Real Madrid that they will meet their demands once he becomes a viable option, they sit and wait.

Key to their chances are Odegaard signalling to Carlo Ancelotti’s side that he wants to leave. Once he pushes for an exit, which will become clearer once La Liga kicks off and he sees where he is in the pecking order, Arsenal can make their move. Reports state that Los Blancos are said to want around £40m.

Already well familiar with his surroundings, while it’s never ideal to get transfer business concluded so late in the window – the Gunners love a late deadline dash – with Odegaard there is at least some solace to take in knowing he won’t need long to acclimatise to the Premier League or integrate with the group. One that hasn’t exactly changed much.

Arteta and his coaching staff were enamoured with the midfielder during his short stint at the club. His professionalism, work rate, visionary quality and leadership were all on show despite him only starting nine league matches, and he produced some fine performances considering the circumstances.

Having arrived injured, Odegaard had to settle and adjust in mid-season, live in a COVID-19 bubble away from home, play in a disfunctioning side (albeit one improving in 2021) and then recover from another injury before playing again.

All of which is very fair mitigation for a 22-year-old who has spent the last four seasons away on loan.

Odegaard has a ceiling. It’s very high. Seeing glimpses of what he could bring to Arsenal, is there more to come? Fully fit and settled, it appears as if Arteta thinks so.

But, what happens if this deal doesn’t happen? Well, Houssem Aouar isn’t entirely out of the question just yet.

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.