Former Arsenal star Alexander Hleb has admitted he does not believe the signing of Alexandre Lacazette is a particularly good one for the club, sighting the fact that fellow countryman Olivier Giroud is ‘better’.

Lacazette joined Arsenal for a club-record fee in the summer, believed to be around £50m. His arrival has brought with it plenty of hype, and many predict he will go on to contend for the Premier League golden boot this season.

However, despite the huge praise surrounding the forward, Hleb, who played for the Gunners between 2005 and 2008, is not entirely sold – saying he is not a ‘fantastic’ purchase.

“The signings that did come through are good, like Alexandre Lacazette, but I can’t say that’s a ‘fantastic’ signing.”

“I am a fan of Giroud and I don’t think Lacazette is better than him.”

“I think the two are on the same level.”
[Quotes via Goal.com]

Speaking about the state of the current transfer market today, with prices for players incredibly inflated, Hleb said he was concerned that the Gunners are unable to compete with sides such as PSG for the best stars in the game.

“Football is a crazy world now,” he told the Independent. “The market is crazy, there is just so much money involved.”

“Arsenal would have wanted to sign more players but it’s too difficult to compete with the likes of Manchester City and PSG.”