Houssem Aouar has said that he is happy to stay with Lyon, despite a potential summer move to Arsenal disappearing.
The France international midfielder has long been associated with several of Europe’s biggest clubs, including Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus, but it was Arsenal who emerged as sole candidates to sign him late in the summer window.
The Gunners, however, could not match OL’s demands and the player will remain with the Ligue 1 side until January at the earliest. Aouar, however, is not unhappy about seeing such a deal breakdown.
“I’m happy to stay at Lyon,” the 22-year-old told TF1. “It’s my city, it’s my club. It gives me immense pride to represent Lyon.
“It wasn’t really Arsenal or nothing else, although at the end it was close to that. Really, a choice had to be made and I’m happy to stay here.
“I spoke about it a lot with sporting director Juninho. He shows me confidence every day and it’s a real pleasure to work with him. To stay here for another season – or more – with him, it’s a great pride.”
Lyon, meanwhile, have failed to back up their strong European form, which saw them knockout Juventus and Manchester City en route to the Champions League semi-finals, where they were defeated by Bayern Munich.
Presently in Ligue 1, they find themselves in a mid-table position, with one win from their six matches to date.
Aouar, though, is eyeing a far higher finishing position for the Rhone giants, who missed out on European football last year.
“The top three is the minimum objective this season,” he said. “Lyon is one of the biggest French clubs, so we must be as high as possible.”
Lyon’s challenge will be further aided by Memphis Depay, whose anticipated move to Barcelona broke down due to fine details. The Netherlands international, though, has admitted that he expects interest in his services to arrive in January, suggesting that he will not see out the duration of his contract, which is up in 2021.
Aouar, meanwhile, has a deal with Lyon that runs until 2023.