Speaking to L’Equipe, Lyon’s General Manager has disclosed exactly why the French club chose to reject Arsenal’s approach for Houssem Aouar.
Vincent Ponsot, Lyon’s General Manager has said that Arsenal’s offer for the Frenchman was rejected because it was below the market value.
It’s unknown how much Arsenal offered for the Frenchman at this time, but it seems as though they didn’t match the Ligue 1 outfit’s asking price.
The Gunners’ interest in the midfielder was highly-publicised throughout the summer, with many reputable outlets reporting that they were in for him, but now we have confirmation that an offer was made.
Unfortunately for Mikel Arteta’s side, Arsenal weren’t the only big team in for him.
“We had three big clubs for him. The first one was more for next season,” Ponsot told L’Equipe (via GFFN).
“The second one was related to the departure of a player, and with this club, we could have come to an agreement. The third club was Arsenal, who offered below the market value.
“We discussed it with the player’s entourage, and together we took the decision to say no.”
It’s a real shame that Arsenal couldn’t get this one over the line as Aouar looks to be a great talent.
To make matters even worse, it looks as though the ship may have sailed, as Ponsot says that one big club were discussing the prospect of bringing him in next season, and if that comes to fruition, Arsenal will have missed out on a top prospect.
Fortunately, Arsenal did manage to bolster their midfield with the signing of Thomas Partey, but we still can’t help but feel that Aouar would have been the final piece of the puzzle.
The Gunners’ penny-pinching transfer strategy seems to have come back to bite them once again.
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