Houssem Aouar Reveals Why He Is Staying At Lyon Amid Interest From Arsenal

Houssem Aouar believes his skills are still needed at Lyon as he explained his choice to turn down offers from Arsenal this transfer window.

Aouar is confident that he has a lot more to offer for the Ligue 1 giant. Describing his run with the club as an “adventure,” the 22-year-old has one major goal in mind and that is to bring glory to his home city.

"(Why did I make) my choice to stay in Lyon? I felt that I could still bring something to this team and to this club," Aouar said in his post-match press conference after Lyon's 1-1 draw with Marseille on Sunday, Goal reported.

"That's why I have made the choice to continue my adventure with Lyon. I hope we will get up and find our form again quickly," he added.

However, the star midfielder could not hide his frustration as he rued his team’s failure to seize control in their latest outing.

"We are very disappointed that we did not pick up the three points. This is really what we had to do. We had to win, especially after our recent results," Aouar said.

It has been a lackluster start in the new season for Lyon as the club tallied just one win and seven points after its first six matches.

"I find it hard to explain why we were not better up front," Aouar explained. "We can make the gap but we miss the right pass or the right shot. It is something that must be improved as quickly as possible. It is not normal for us."

Last month, ESPN’s Julien Laurens reported, citing unnamed sources, that Lyon and Arsenal continued their negotiations after the French club rejected a $41 million initial offer for Aouar.

It had been said that Lyon demanded about $70 million for the young footballer but was willing to accept around $47 million, plus bonuses, as the club recognized the overall financial situation in the sport due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

But Arsenal may now have to move on from its pursuit of Aouar as the Frenchman looks keen on staying at the Ligue 1 side for the foreseeable future.