Arsenal are set to ramp up their interest in Houssem Aouar this summer as they seek a replacement for Granit Xhaka following Mikel Arteta’s change of system.
The Gunners have moved from a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-3-3 system this season, pushing Xhaka on as a left-sided central midfielder. And, while he has been far from a disaster in the role, there is certainly scope to upgrade on the immobile 29 year old Swiss anchor.
One man who has long been in the crosshairs of Arteta and Technical director Edu Gaspar is Aouar, with Lyon having turned down a pair of bids for him from the Gunners in the summer of 2020. Since then, however, interest has cooled in the Frenchman from around Europe, and his contract being up in 2023 means that he could be available for a bargain price in the summer.
PARIS, FRANCE – OCTOBER 7: Houssem Aouar of France reacts during the international friendly match between France and Ukraine at Stade de France on October 7, 2020 in Paris, France. (Photo by Xavier Laine/Getty Images)
According to Italian outlet CalcioMercato, Arsenal will be part of a three-horse race for his signature, which includes Serie A heavyweights Juventus and Inter Milan. A change of agent for Aouar has made the move far more likely than previously, they claim.
Would Aouar suit Arsenal?
Stylistically, Aouar would suit Arsenal to a tee, offering everything that Mikel Arteta seemingly wants from one of his forward players. There is, after all, a reason that the Gunners pushed so hard for him in the past.
However, the Arsenal squad is beyond just that being enough now. The hierarchy have backed Arteta as the man to clear out any of the ‘bad eggs’ in the squad, with the result being a seemingly positive and together squad. Were Aouar to threaten that, as his previous attitude problems could do, then it would be a no go.
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Manchester City | 29 | 50 | 70 |
| 2 | Liverpool FC | 28 | 53 | 66 |
| 3 | Chelsea FC | 28 | 38 | 59 |
| 4 | Arsenal FC | 26 | 14 | 51 |
| 5 | Manchester United | 29 | 8 | 50 |
| 6 | West Ham United | 29 | 12 | 48 |
| 7 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 29 | 6 | 46 |
| 8 | Tottenham Hotspur | 27 | 7 | 45 |
| 9 | Aston Villa | 28 | 2 | 36 |
| 10 | Southampton FC | 29 | -9 | 35 |
| 11 | Crystal Palace | 29 | 1 | 34 |
| 12 | Leicester City | 26 | -5 | 33 |
| 13 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 28 | -8 | 33 |
| 14 | Newcastle United | 28 | -16 | 31 |
| 15 | Brentford FC | 29 | -13 | 30 |
| 16 | Leeds United | 29 | -34 | 26 |
| 17 | Everton FC | 26 | -19 | 22 |
| 18 | Watford FC | 29 | -26 | 22 |
| 19 | Burnley FC | 27 | -16 | 21 |
| 20 | Norwich City | 29 | -45 | 17 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 20 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 12 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 12 |
| Jota, Diogo | Liverpool FC | 12 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 11 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 11 |
| Toney, Ivan | Brentford FC | 11 |
| Mahrez, Riyad | Manchester City | 10 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 10 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City | 10 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 9 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 9 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City | 9 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 9 |
| Smith-Rowe, Emile | Arsenal FC | 9 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace | 9 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 8 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 8 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 8 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 8 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neves, Ruben | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 9 |
| Firpo, Junior | Leeds United | 0 | 9 |
| Salisu, Mohammed | Southampton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 0 | 7 |
| Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 0 | 8 |
| Cash, Matty | Aston Villa | 0 | 8 |
| Mings, Tyrone | Aston Villa | 0 | 8 |
| Tarkowski, James | Burnley FC | 0 | 8 |
| Romeu, Oriol | Southampton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Brownhill, Josh | Burnley FC | 0 | 8 |
| Mctominay, Scott | Manchester United | 0 | 8 |
| Maguire, Harry | Manchester United | 0 | 7 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 8 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 0 | 7 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 1 | 6 |
| Moreno, Rodrigo | Leeds United | 0 | 7 |
| Rice, Declan | West Ham United | 0 | 7 |
| Westwood, Ashley | Burnley FC | 0 | 7 |
| Shaw, Luke | Manchester United | 0 | 7 |
| Bednarek, Jan | Southampton FC | 0 | 7 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Alexander-Arnold, Trent | Liverpool FC | 11 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 10 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 9 |
| Robertson, Andy | Liverpool FC | 9 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 8 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 7 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 7 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 7 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 6 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 6 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 6 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 6 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City | 6 |
| Cancelo, Joao | Manchester City | 6 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 5 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 5 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 5 |
| Ings, Danny | Aston Villa | 5 |
| Henderson, Jordan | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Kovacic, Mateo | Chelsea FC | 5 |
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