There is one question lingering all over the Emirates Stadium- ‘What Has Happened To Alexandre Lacazette?’
The Gunners are going through a tough period of time and they really need all of their players to give their best for the team. The goal drought of Alexandre Lacazette teamed up with Aubameyang’s arrival has raised eyebrows towards Frenchman’s future at Arsenal.
ARSENALCORE will look to certain points of Lacazette’s career which tilt the weight towards ‘He still has a future with Arsenal.’
1.Lacazette Joined Arsenal :
Alexandre Lacazette joined Arsenal with a club record transfer fee of £46.5m from the Ligue 1 side Olympique Lyon. The deal with add on’s was as high as £52.6m which surpasses club’s previous record signing – Mesut Ozil’s fee from Real Madrid in 2013-14 season.
Lacazette brought a lot of hope for the Arsenal fans as they thought that their long term striker problem has finally been solved.
2. His Goal Scoring Record In France With Lyon :
Lacazette made his name as a goalscorer in France with Lyon. His goal scoring form attracted interest from best clubs around the globe and that was the reason behind Arsenal splashing the cash to buy the French starlet.
He has developed himself into a goal scoring beast at Lyon.
Lacazette’s stats in his last season with Lyon
3. Perfect Start :
Lacazette maintained his Goal scoring form of the previous season after coming to Arsenal too.
It took Lacazette only 94 seconds to get his first Premier League goal on the opening match day against Leicester City. He has also scored against Bournemouth and West Brom at Emirates in next two matches. Lacazette got his first away Goal against Everton in Arsenal’s 5-2 margin at Goodinson park.
4. Things Started Going Against Lacazette :
Lacazette scored for the Gunners against Huddersfield Town in Arsenal’s 5-0 demolition on 30th November, 2017 and he scored his last Goal for Arsenal against Crystal Palace on 20th January, 2018.
In the meantime, he had not scored any Goal.
In total, Lacazette scored 9 Goals in his 26 appearances for the Gunners which is not even close to what he is known for and what is expected from him.
5. Dent in Confidence After The Arrival Of Aubameyang in the Winter Transfer Window :
Arsenal went through several changes in the winter transfer window.
There were arrival of Pierre Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan and also the exits of the star players like Alexis Sanchez and Olivier Giroud.
In the previous scenario (before the winter transfer window) Lacazette was always the first team preference for Arsene Wenger. But the situation changed after the arrival of Aubameyang.
Wenger preferred to play Aubameyang over Lacazette in the win against Everton followed by North London Derby.
This incident lowered the confidence level of the Frenchman with an extent.
He came as a substitute in the second half and missed several good opportunities to score for the Gunners against Tottenham.
6. How His Qualities Can Help Arsenal (linking Up With Ozil, Mkhitaryan and Aubameyang):
Lacazette’s ball control ability is quite good. His pace and successful rate of dribbling are his attributes of game play. He presses for every ball and tries to snatch it back from the feet of the opponent defenders. These qualities of Lacazette can surely help the Gunners and he could pair up well with Ozil, Mkhitaryan and Aubameyang, Arsenal’s frontline will be a lightening one to scare the other teams.
7. How Can He Make The Difference In The Latter Half Of The Season And In The Next Season :
Lacazette can play as a winger as well as a centre forward. Arsene Wenger might opt to play with a 4-2-1-3 formation in the rest part of the season. Aubameyang will play as the centre forward. Lacazette might be used as a second striker behind Aubameyang or as a winger.
Mkhitaryan could be deployed in another wing and Ozil in the attacking midfielder position.
Aubameyang will be ineligible to play in the Europa League this season as he is cup tied with Borussia Dortmund. So, Lacazette can play an important role for Arsenal towards achieving silverware and guaranteeing Arsenal’s Champions League spot next season.
