Last night, Liverpool and Arsenal were presumably keeping a close eye on the Ligue 1 clash between Monaco and Lille.
It represented a good opportunity to scout Aurelien Tchouameni, who is believed to be a target for both Jürgen Klopp and Mikel Arteta.
If the Premier League duo were keeping tabs on the game in France, then the 22-year-old certainly didn’t disappoint.
What’s the story?
Well, Monaco recorded a 2-1 win over Lille, with Tchouameni scoring both goals for his side – an impressive achievement, considering he’s a defensive midfielder.
The France international – who Monaco value at £52m – opened the scoring in the 42nd minute with a beautiful strike from the edge of the box.
Tchouameni received the ball from Wissam Ben Yedder, before shifting it onto his weaker left foot and smashing a strike into the bottom right corner.
We say weaker foot, but you wouldn’t have been able to tell judging by the ferocity of the strike.
If you thought that was special, Tchouameni’s second goal in the 75th minute – which turned out to be the winner – was unbelievable.
On his stronger right foot this time, the Monaco No.8 unleashed a thunderous strike from roughly 30 yards out, which cannoned in off the post.
Clearly, the Liverpool and Arsenal target is more than capable of using both feet, and is playing with real confidence at the moment.
When two Premier League giants – as well as Real Madrid – are interested in signing him, that comes as no surprise to us whatsoever.
So far this season, Tchouameni now has five goals in 48 appearances, as well as two assists to his name.
Arsenal must secure Champions League football to beat Liverpool
In our view, Arsenal don’t stand a chance of beating Liverpool to Tchouameni’s signature unless they secure Champions League football.
The Frenchman is one of the most in-demand players around, and he won’t settle for anything less than Champions League football next season.
Liverpool have already booked their place in the competition next term, although Arsenal must still fend off Tottenham for a place in the top four.
Whatever happens, somebody is going to be getting a gem of a footballer, who clearly has the ability to become a very, very special midfielder.
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