Arsenal scout Giles Grimandi was reportedly in France at the weekend to watch Lyon play against Metz, with a few players supposedly interesting The Gunners.
Latest reports state that Grimandi was keeping tabs on the highly rated duo of Alexandre Lacazette and Nabil Fekir but that a defensive midfielder stole the show.
The Daily Mail reports:
Arsenal scout Gilles Grimandi watched French league leaders Lyon beat Metz 2-0 on Sunday.
…the other notable performance on Sunday came from Maxime Gonalons the defensive midfielder who has been on Arsenal’s wishlist for the past two seasons.
Oh how Arsenal could use a player like this. That they haven’t brought in a hyper mobile and intelligent shield for the defence over the last few years has left many Arsenal fans outraged. Some would say that it’s come down to stubbornness on the part to the manager, who refuses to buckle to public pressure for a midfield enforcer.
We do sense that things are on the up at Arsenal however and, if they could bring in a top midfield general, they would be so much closer to yearly trophies.
Gonalons has only played 6 times for France since his debut in 2011. But he has been a stalwart for Lyon through difficult times – a very consistent and rarely injured performer for the club over the last 6 years.
Even if he isn’t the entire solution, he would be a specialist for the area of the park where Arsenal are weakest.
Let’s see him in action. Arsenal fans: worth a punt?