Arsenal are said to be closing in on a significant deal that will bring Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette to the Emirates Stadium, with a fee set to eclipse the club-record £42.5m the Gunners paid in 2013 to land Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid.
The French striker looks set to arrive as the second signing of the summer for Arsenal, following the capture of full-back Sead Kolasinac on a free transfer from Schalke, but a deal for Lacazette is likely to send a major statement of intent to the rest of the Premier League.
Lacazette has shown himself to be one of the finest strikers within Ligue 1 during recent seasons, boasting a record of 100 league goals in 203 appearances for the French side, and he’d be a big upgrade on Arsenal’s current attacking options- filling a void in the side that has been gaping since Robin Van Persie left to join Manchester United.
Whilst Olivier Giroud is a capable striker that can get a job done, he isn’t the sort of forward that strikes fear into apposing defenders and Arsenal need that sort of outlet in attack- especially if they fail to keep hold of Alexis Sanchez.
Should Arsenal retain the services of their Player of the Year, then Alexis and Lacazette can create a deadly partnership in attack, supported by Mesut Ozil- and the German will benefit from Lacazette’s runs behind the defender.
All in all, Lacazette is the sort of addition that will bring the best out of the entire Arsenal squad and sees the Gunners boast a player who can contend for the top-scorer crown in the division, whilst also easing the burden on other attacking players.
In recent years, Arsenal’s attack has often relied on one man getting the job done but Lacazette’s addition gives the Gunners another fine outlet, which gives Arsene Wenger a player who can lead the line and ease pressure on the rest of the attackers.
Whether Lacazette adapts to the challenges of the Premier League remains to be seen but it’s a risk that Arsenal needed to take, particularly with their rivals spending big this summer- and a record deal for the Gunners show they also mean business.
A deal is not yet complete for Wenger’s side but the signs look promising and Arsenal may hope to have completed a deal by the time their pre-season campaign kicks-off later this month.