Houssem Aouar ended up staying at Olympique Lyonnais on deadline day, with all reports of a potential Arsenal move proving wide of the mark.

HOUSSEM AOUAR - OL: Lyon vs Lorient - Ligue 1 Uber Eats - 08/05/2021. Photo: FEP/Panoramic
HOUSSEM AOUAR – OL: Lyon vs Lorient – Ligue 1 Uber Eats – 08/05/2021. Photo: FEP/Panoramic

Fabrizio Romano reported on transfer deadline day that Arsenal were not interested in signing Houssem Aouar in the final hours of the window, and that there were no talks with Lyon for the midfielder.

Romano went on to add that the likes of Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur were also making no attempt to sign Aouar, despite links to both of them over the summer.

The transfer window always brings plenty of twists and turns, but with the window now closed, you’ll have to get your entertainment elsewhere, such as with ku casino. But the result for Aouar is that he’s remaining in Ligue 1 with his current club.

Before Arsenal signed Martin Odegaard, there was some talk they might bring in Aouar instead.

One report from The Athletic claimed that at €25m, there was an acceptance at Arsenal that Aouar represented an excellent market opportunity, and they also enquired about a loan move. Again, that was before the Odegaard deal reached an advanced stage.

RMC Sport reported that Lyon director of sport Juninho was looking to ship out a few players this summer, and the list includes Aouar. They claimed Aouar could leave at an even lower price than had previously been asked for.

After Odegaard joined the Gunners, still the Daily Mail wrote that Arsenal were continuing to be linked to Aouar. But in the end, there was no further progress on a deal.

In a way, it’s a shame, as there certainly wouldn’t be much of an issue fitting Odegaard and Aouar into the same team. As we saw last season, Odegaard tends to lean more towards the right-hand side of the pitch, whilst Aouar almost exclusively operates from the left.

Even with the signings of Odegaard and Albert Sambi Lokonga in midfield, you’d think Arsenal could still do with one or two more options in the middle.

On the other hand, it’s a bit damning that there were so many outlets reporting that Lyon were open to selling and Aouar was willing to leave and none of the linked clubs came in for him.

If no club could justify a relatively small expense to bring in the midfielder, you’d think there’s a good reason why. He has a bit of a point to prove this season.