Edu Gaspar was crucial to £45m Arsenal signing, Arteta wanted 22-year-old instead

Arsenal were heavily linked with a move for the Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar during the summer transfer window.

Apparently, Mikel Arteta was keen on signing the French midfielder in order to improve the creativity in his midfield.

However, recent reports from L’Equipe (via Sportwitness) claim that Arsenal went on to sign Thomas Partey for £45m instead because of Edu Gaspar’s interest in the player.

Apparently, the Arsenal director had more say on transfers as compared to manager Mikel Arteta.

It is evident that the Arsenal manager wanted to sign the Lyon star but the director choose the former Atletico Madrid midfielder instead.

There is no doubt that the former Atletico Madrid midfielder is a quality player as well but he has a different skill set compared to Aouar.

Arsenal need some craft and imagination in their midfield and it will be interesting to see if they return for the 22-year-old Frenchman when the transfer window reopens in January.

Partey will help the team improve defensively but he will not be able to add the creativity they need right now.

With Mesut Ozil excluded from the Premier League and the European squad, Arsenal will have to rely on the likes of Ceballos and Willian until the January transfer window.