Arsenal secured a 2-1 win against Sevilla in their Champions League group game last night, but Gunners legend Ian Wright was full of praise for French midfielder Boubakary Soumare after the game.
The Leicester City star is currently on loan at the La Liga club for the season after leaving the Foxes temporarily following their relegation to the Championship, and he proved why he deserves to be playing at this level against the North Londoners, limiting the influence of their captain Martin Odegaard.
Wright was impressed with Soumare’s performance, singling him out for accolades on Wrighty’s House podcast.
“It wasn’t a great game for our captain, thinking that he was going to get a space in that midfield to maybe get on a turn,” the Arsenal legend said.
“The way we played… their midfield. I’ve to say Boubakary Soumare, on loan from Leicester.
“I thought he was so good. he really stifled out Martin Odegaard. I thought he was really good. He looked like a different player in the way he was playing.”
The 24-year-old joined Leicester from Lille in July 2021 but Arsenal were keen on signing him in 2020.
The Gunners were linked with him during the January transfer window of that year and in the summer as manager Mikel Arteta saw him as an alternative to Thomas Partey.
However, the move did not materialise, with only Gabriel Magalhaes arriving from the Ligue 1 club that summer.
Arsenal snapped up Partey from Atletico Madrid instead, and while they have no regrets about signing the 30-year-old, Soumare’s display last night might have had Arteta wishing he snapped him up.
The Frenchman could still return to the Premier League if Leicester secures an instant return to the top-flight or if another English club decides to sign him.
Sevilla could also opt to retain his services permanently, and he will certainly not be short of options at the end of the season if he keeps performing like he did last night.
Arsenal have since reinforced their midfield with the addition of Declan Rice, but Soumare showed them what he is capable of, and Wright loved what he saw from the former Lille star.
