Lyon coach Rudi Garcia has backed the club’s decision to leave reported Arsenal target Houssem Aouar out of the squad for this weekend’s clash with Reims, speaking to L’Equipe.
It hasn’t been an easy season for Les Gones.
With Memphis Depay publicly pushing for a dream move to Barcelona and star striker Moussa Dembele on a run of 11 games without a goal in the French top flight, the last thing they needed was another player to worry about.
But, according to L’Equipe, Aouar will be conspicuous by his absence against Reims on Sunday after an untimely and unhelpful breach of discipline.
“Aouar is not available,” Garcia says of his influential France international.
“It was logical to take sanctions. I proposed some myself. The club made the decision to exclude him from the group for Sunday.”
“Quite simply, he made a small mistake,” striker Karl Toko Ekambi adds.
“The club has made a decision, which we must respect. It is not for us to comment on that. Houssem took it well. He trains very well, that’s the main thing.”
In truth, Aouar hasn’t been himself since a move to Arsenal failed to materialise in the summer.
France Football reports a Gunners side that hasn’t scored from open play in eight hours remains intent on signing a man seen as France’s answer to Kevin De Bruyne.
However, Aouar has done little to justify his £40 million price tag of late. In eight games, he has scored just twice and produced one assist.
Aouar even lost his place in the France squad until Nabil Fekir’s injury offered him a reprieve.
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