- 8 hours ago
Arsenal target Houssem Aouar’s early season numbers down on last season
Carlo Garganese
- Updated: 19 May 2021 15:43 BST
- 4 min read
One of the transfer sagas of the summer market was Arsenal’s pursuit of Lyon star Houssem Aouar.
On Sunday, Lyon general manager Vincent Ponsont admitted that The Gunners, who eventually plumped for Atletico Madrid’s Thomas Partey, failed to sign Aouar because their bid was not high enough.
But would the Frenchman have been worth a big money outlay?
Well so far this season, even though this is a small sample size, many of his numbers are well down compared to the 2019/20 campaign.
So far this season, Aouar has played eight matches for his club, scoring two goals and grabbing one assist for a Lyon side in eighth position prior to their Sunday evening Ligue 1 match against Saint-Etienne. During the entirety of last season, Aouar scored 11 goals and made another 10 in 44 matches.
But it his data averages in other key areas of the game where he has dipped this season. He has made 3.8 dribbles a game in 2020/21, down 47% on last season.
His 0.88 tackles a game is down 57%, his nine challenges and 0.75 air challenges down 39% and 33%, respectively. He is crossing the ball 14% less a game this season compared to last.
Aouar Stats Comparison
| STAT | AOUAR 19-20 | AOUAR 20-21 |
|---|---|---|
| MATCHES | 44 | 8 |
| GOALS | 11 | 2 |
| ASSISTS | 10 | 1 |
| DRIBBLES (PER 90) | 6 | 3.8 |
| SHOTS (P/90) | 1.82 | 2.8 |
| KEY PASSES (P/90) | 1.07 | 1.13 |
| TACKLES (P/90) | 2.22 | 0.88 |
| CHALLENGES (P/90) | 15 | 9 |
| AIR CHALLENGES (P/90) | 1.14 | 0.75 |
| CROSSES (P/90) | 0.48 | 0.38 |
| ERRORS LEADING TO GOALS | 0 | 1 |
| RED CARDS | 0 | 1 |
| FC RATING (LIGUE 1) | 6.8 | 6.6 |
He has been red carded once so far, having not been sent off in the whole of last term. He also has made one error leading to a goal, having not made any in 2019-20.
His sole improvements this campaign, according to the key data compiled by InStat, is in regards to his number of shots per match; 2.8 to 1.82. There is also a very slight increase with key passes per match; 1.13 up from 1.07.
It must be stressed that we are only just over two months into the new season, while Aouar has also been penalised by Lyon being out of European competition.
In 2019-20, Aouar saved many of his best performances for the Champions League as he proved inspirational in the club’s run to the semi-final.
FIFA has also moved to restrict football administrators – such as club and national association officials – from owning a stake in player agencies.
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Seven of his assists came in Europe’s premier club competition as he produced colossal performances in the shock eliminations of Juventus in the last 16 and Manchester City a round later.
His Football Critic average rating last season was 6.8 in Ligue 1 and 7.4 in the Champions League, demonstrating his tendency to rise to the big occasion.
This season his two best performances were in Lyon’s two biggest matches against Marseille (one goal) and Monaco (a goal and assist), the only time he has received a FC rating of above 7.
His overall average rating in Ligue 1 this term is 6.6, again down on last season’s overall average.
Arsenal will be watching on keenly to see if Aouar’s numbers improve over a longer period.
