It’s possible that with Arsene Wenger relatively quiet in the last few years transfer-wise, he may have forgotten a bit of etiquette.
The Arsenal manager has ruffled a few feathers in his home country of France after a bid for Lyon attacking midfielder Clement Grenier was so low it was deemed “disrespectful” by Lyon chairman Jean-Michel Aulas.
According to French paper Le Parisien (the hard copy, story hasn’t appeared online as of yet), Wenger bid £6 million ($9.1 million), about one-third of what Aulas has valued the 22-year-old at.
Grenier has just one year left on his deal, and has already stated Arsenal are in the mix. He stated he will not renew with Lyon, so they would be wise to cash in for him now. Instead however, the report states Aulas has been steadfast in his belief that Grenier will be returning to Stade de Gerland.
The kid rose to the club’s challenge in the final few weeks, and guided Lyon through a tough patch and into the third and final Ligue 1 qualifying spot for the Champions League. His free kicks are Juninho-esque, and a calculated risk-taker when it comes to passing. Oddly enough, Grenier would have made a switch to Nice last summer had Yoann Gourcuff not blown out his knee in the beginning of the season.
Arsenal apparently also submitted a bid for fellow Lyon player Maxime Gonalons, but that too was turned down.