Let's cut through the noise. There is a lot of fluff doing the rounds that Arsenal are ready to roll over and accept Lille's terms for Ayyoub Bouaddi....
Let's cut through the noise. There is a lot of fluff doing the rounds that Arsenal are ready to roll over and accept Lille's terms for Ayyoub Bouaddi. I have to tell you, based on what I am hearing from my contacts at the club, that picture is not quite as clear as some would have you believe.Look, I respect the work of my colleagues. Their sources may well prove to be the ones holding the right cards on this one. But as things stand, the whispers around the training ground suggest this story has been overcooked. Arsenal have not blinked. They are not rushing to meet Lille's valuation, nor are they prepared to be dictated to in what is shaping up to be a long, hard window for squad reinforcement.So what is the reality It is a two horse race in the scouting department right now. The club are actively weighing up two distinct profiles for the engine room. One is a young, developmental prospect, which fits the Bouaddi mould. The other is a more battle hardened operator, someone who can step into the cauldron of a Premier League winter and immediately get stuck in. Mikel Arteta has learned the hard way that you cannot build a title challenge on promise alone. You need men who can dig in during the squeaky bum moments of a match.The myth that needs debunking is that Arsenal are trigger happy or desperate. That is simply not true. They are being methodical. They know they need midfield legs, but they will not be panicked into a deal that does not suit their wage structure or their tactical flexibility. If a bid does come in for Bouaddi, it will be on their terms, not Lille's. For now, the real work is being done on a different candidate, one who offers more immediate punch in the final third and better transitional play from deep.Keep your eyes on the registry. The next signing for this Arsenal side won't be a name you hear on the gossip columns every day. It will be a quiet, surgical move. And if it comes off, the Emirates will have the steel they are currently crying out for.
