Arsenal’s key advantage over rivals in Lyon star chase

Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar attracted plenty of attention during his side’s Champions League 2-2 draw with Manchester City. The 20-year-old earned praise from the City boss Pep Guardiola. "Houssem Aouar is a very good player, he is incredible," said Guardiola. "We talk a lot about (Tanguy) Ndombele, but Aouar is also excellent. He's always very calm with the ball at his feet, with an excellent technical quality." Manchester City have been linked with a move for the France under-21 star, but the player could choose to play for Arsenal because of Alexandre Lacazette. The Arsenal forward, and former Lyon star, was an idol of Aouar's as he made his way through the Lyon ranks, and he clearly hasn't forgotten that. "I started training with the pros two years ago," Aouar told Associated Press. "Lyon already had a young squad at the time, not quite as young as this year, but there were still a lot of young players, players from the youth team. I was lucky, I got a lot of help. Alexandre Lacazette took me under his wing. Alex talked to me a lot, pointed out the stuff I needed to work on, notably my finishing. We worked a lot on that. Mapou Yanga Mbiwa was also important for me, and he still is. I talk to him a lot, and the fact you have these top players looking after you really helps."

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