Arsenal Management Split Over Choosing Between Two Players This Summer

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta disagreed with the club's technical director Edu over the signing of one of two players from their European counterparts this summer transfer window. 

Though it happened behind closed doors to the public, having to choose between Thomas Partey and Houssem Aouar was not easy to reach between the two executives. The former ended up being signed to a £45million contract from Atletico Madrid eventually, but Arteta actually wanted Aouar, LEquipe revealed.

Arteta had been in talks with Lyon over the signing of Aouar, but the Ligue 1 side found it hard to come to terms with the offer. Meanwhile, they had also turned down an offer from Barcelona that could not match their fee demand for the midfielder that was needed by Arteta to help improve on his team performance. 

The Spaniards were deprived of landing a deal with the Ghanaian international over financial constraint inflicted on them by the coronavirus pandemic. 

That pursuit was not what actually not what Edu was hoping for as he would rather sign the defender despite Arteta's disagreement, who could not overrule the decision since the responsibility to sign a player now lays with the technical director. 

Gunners are eleventh with nine points in the EPL table which is four-point adrift from the leaders Everton. They lose their league game at home by 1-0 to Leicester City during which Partey made his second league game appearance.