Mikel Arteta and Edu had disagreements over sigming either Thomas Partey or Houssem Aouar in the summer, according to reports in France.
It was widely reported that the players were Arsenal’s chief transfer targets throughout the summer window. The Gunners had been linked with moves for Partey and Aouar for months.
Despite this, it appeared like they would not be able to get a deal for either player before the deadline. But Arsenal acted late and activated Partey’s release clause on the transfer deadline day.
They signed Partey from Atletico Madrid for around £44.5m. And The Ghanian international has immediately hit the ground running at the club.
He made his first start in the Europa League last week against Rapid Vienna. His composure in midfield was the main talking point in the game as Arsenal came from behind to secure a 2-1 victory.
The summer transfer window has closed with Aouar still a Lyon player. The Frenchman has been a big standout player for the club in recent seasons, which led to him being linked with Arsenal and other top sides.
Aouar started and scored for Lyon over the weekend as they beat Monaco 4-1 in French Ligue 1. It is believed that if the Arsenal boss got his way, Aouar would now be at the club now.
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According to French outlet L’Equipe, Arteta would have preferred Arsenal to sign Aouar over Partey. But the club’s Technical Director, Edu, favoured signing the Ghanaian.
