Lyon star Houssem Aouar has praised sports director Juninho for his role in the summer transfer saga which saw Arsenal fail in an attempt to sign him, Telefoot report.
Aouar was strongly linked with a move to the Gunners throughout the summer.
As deadline day was approaching, many felt a deal to the Emirates Stadium was all-but inevitable with Arsenal presenting an enticing offer for the midfielder.
According to RMC, the Gunners bid £32.7 million and were even prepared to go a little higher.
L’Equipe, meanwhile, claimed Aouar had an agreement to join Arsenal.
But ultimately a deal never materialised. Arsenal instead signed Thomas Parter from Atletico Madrid, with Aouar now saying Juninho played a key role in him staying.
“If it was Jean-Michel Aulas [club president] who convinced me to stay? Among others. I discussed a lot with Juninho, He shows me his confidence every day, so it’s a real pleasure to work with him on a daily basis. And obviously to stay a season or more longer with Juni is a huge source of pride,” Aouar explained when asked if he was convinced to stay at Lyon.
Aouar helped Lyon reach the Champions League semi-final, eliminating Manchester City along the way before losing to eventual champions Bayern Munich.
But following a seventh-place finish in Ligue 1, Lyon miss out this time around.
Aouar will surely move on in the next 12 months, but now it’s a question of whether clubs will be willing to pay that extra in January or wait until the following summer.
The midfielder’s contract at Lyon, meanwhile, expires in 2022.
Arsenal may have signed Partey, but he is a combative midfielder and there is still room for a playmaker of Aouar’s qualities to shine in Mikel Arteta’s side.
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