Mikel Arteta has a clear vision in mind for what he wants Arsenal’s midfield to look like next season, and this plan has been in the works for years.
Arteta’s first summer transfer window at Arsenal saw Thomas Partey arrive from Atletico Madrid for around £45m on deadline day in October 2020.
Partey was brought in as a defensive midfielder who could dictate the play and drive the ball forward alongside Granit Xhaka, but Arsenal could not complete their ideal midfield that summer.
Mesut Ozil was frozen out of the squad, and no replacement came until Emile Smith Rowe exploded onto the scene in December 2020. Joe Willock and Alexandre Lacazette were among the players trialled in an attacking midfield role.
The first half of that season was a disaster, with Arsenal even embarking on a run of seven games without a win due to a sheer lack of creativity. This could have been solved at the time with Arteta target Houssem Aouar.
Arsenal wanted Houssem Aouar alongside Thomas Partey in 2020
Arteta’s idea for his midfield in 2020 was that Partey would partner Xhaka as two central options with Lyon playmaker Houssem Aouar targeted to play further forward.
Arsenal had a £36m bid rejected for Aouar whilst targeting Partey, and they did not increase their offer for the Frenchman. Partey arrived, but there was still a dearth of creativity in the side.
The vision was clear: Arsenal were playing with a 4-2-3-1 shape at the time, and Aouar would have filled Ozil’s role as a number 10. Arteta later changed the midfield shape to a 4-3-3, with Partey at the base and Xhaka pushing further forward, and Aouar would have been in an 8/10 hybrid playmaking midfield role.
A deal could not be completed for Aouar, who then eventually moved to Roma. If Lyon had accepted Arsenal’s bid, then Arteta would have built his ideal midfield for £81m.
Thomas Partey and Houssem Aouar could finally link up in Saudi Arabia
Aouar is now set to move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad, with the midfielder exiting European football at just 26 years of age.
Partey has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia, and his representatives were recently in discussions with PIF over a potential move.
If he does follow Aouar to Saudi Arabia, Partey could even join Al-Ittihad to line up alongside him, which would be an interesting sight given that this was a concrete possibility at Arsenal just four years ago.
Did Arsenal dodge a bullet over Houssem Aouar in 2020?
Aouar was 22 when Arsenal had strong interest in him, and he was regarded as a top playmaking talent at Lyon.
His struggles over the last few years have been as a result of injuries, but Arsenal did perhaps dodge a bullet that they could not get a big money deal for him over the line.
Arsenal may have finished in the top four in 2021 if they signed Aouar, having finished eighth, but just six points off fourth place. The lack of creativity in the first half of the season would have been solved.
Martin Odegaard arrived on loan in January 2021, before joining permanently later that year. If Arsenal had signed Aouar, they may have never signed Odegaard.
Odegaard is now the Arsenal captain and one of the best midfielders in the world. Aouar is a year older than the Norweigan but is moving to Saudi Arabia. Long-term, Arsenal will be relieved that the move for Aouar never materialised.
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