It appears the Gunners are ready to tie-up business in January that was missed before the summer window closed October 5.
Arsenal conjured up one of the best transfer windows this summer, acquiring the right players in areas that needed much attention before the new campaign kicked off. Their final signing of the summer could possibly be one of the best this window.
The £45.3m paid to trigger Thomas Partey‘s release clause could become the best £45.3m they’ve spent in years. The only downfall of the Gunners’ window? Losing Emi Martinez to Aston Villa after establishing himself as a cult hero in his short stint in the absence of the then injured Bernd Leno.
Unfortunately, the club could not promise their second-choice stopper enough first-team minutes and the £20 million they recovered from his sale, is the only positive they can take from the loss. The other summer setback and a small glitch in an almost perfect window, Arsenal missing out on playmaker Houssem Aouar from Lyon.
January could see them land Aouar
Ahead of October 5, it was almost certain that the Gunners were about to pull off a double signing of Thomas Partey and Houssem Aouar. Sadly, the closer we got to the closing date, the more it became a choice of one or the other.
In this case, they took the one and not the other. The one they were linked with from when the window opened and transfers were allowed to take place. Lucas Torreira lost his place in the team under Mikel Arteta and was forced to search for another venture in his footballing career.
This gave a clear indication Partey was a major priority to the manager’s project and getting his deal over the line was more important than landing Houssem from Lyon. As the story goes… If the North Londoners were to make an adequate number of sales and create enough bank, they would have signed him on the final day.
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This did not happen and a player who was said to have agreed to personal terms with the Gunners had to stay and ply his trade in the French Ligue 1 once again. But it could be a very short spell as Arsenal looks set to make their move for him during the winter window.
"Arsenal could reportedly reignite their interest in Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar when the January transfer window opens for business.should the Gunners manage to offload some players and trim their wage budget in January then they could ‘test the water with Lyon again’. A new approach for the 22-year-old cannot be ruled out as Mikel Arteta looks to put together a squad capable of challenging for silverware. (Via: sportsmole.co.uk)"
The club is being advised by many to have him partner Thomas in the middle of the park. And quite frankly, what a Premier League pairing they would be. A playmaker and a commanding general would be the perfect way to describe them.
The club’s current plans appear to be heading in the direction where they could pull of a feasible Houssem Aouar singing. The club has already omitted Mesut Ozil from their Premier League squad, as well as their Europa League squad.
Joining him in the “no-space zone” is Sokratis Papastathopoulos. If/when the two has moved on in the summer, there will be allocated funds to make a purchase they could not afford to before deadline day.