Was Lacazette Arsenal’s first-choice striker option last summer?

Craig Burley has claimed that Arsenal failed to land their key summer transfer targets, before lowering their aspirations to sign Alexandre Lacazette instead.

The Gunners splurged a club record £52 Million to bring in the French striker from Lyon last summer, but he has since lost his first-team role thanks to the arrival of new club record signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

The Gabon international was brought in last month with his new team-mate having come into some dire form, and the £52 Million man now has to adjust to playing as a reserve, which is a crazy thought.

Former profession Craig Burley has now claimed that the 26 year-old was only signed after they failed with their main targets.

“He’s been in the spotlight Lacazette, he comes in in the summer as a big signing,” Burley said.

“I don’t want to be harsh on him, I don’t want to be harsh on any player, but I kind of think Wenger brought him in because he didn’t get the top-level striker that he wanted.

“So he went down to the next level and brought in a very good player from France.

“He’s left him out of some key games, which was strange, or maybe told a story.

“Then obviously the chase for Aubameyang and securing Aubameyang was going to shove Lacazette onto the sidelines.

“We saw him come off the bench in the north London derby, missed a couple of chances, it happens, confidence is low and off the back of that now he is injured.”

Is Lacazette in a tier below the top-level available strikers? Does he now have to get used to being the back-up striker or can he fight his way back into the team?

Pat J

Tags Arsenal Aubameyang lacazette

23 Comments

  1. reckon Mbappe was the top target but they couldnt get him and hence all the selling in the summer to free up the funds available….

    Aubameyang appears to be one of Wenger’s top target few years back prior to him joining Dormunt

    1. Auba was Wenger’s top target but he had a chance to sign him when he was cheap, but still the old man offered less and lost him to BVB.. he’s missed so many players by penny pinching even a single million pounds as if it’s from his rich bank account

  2. Maybe he was Wenger’s first choice or not. But he is not a tier below the top level strikers, proven by the amount of goals he scored in France.

    I think Aubameyang was brought to compete with him. If he cannot compete or cannot thrive in a new role, he could be sold at the end of this season

    1. Yes, we have one of the top tier strikers. After the two that are on a planet all on their own, we couldn’t possibly get a better one than we’ve got. I don’t think we could, for me he is the best we could’ve hoped for. Pity we couldn’t get him when we still had Alexis, then if Mkhit had chosen us that time. That would’ve been the best possible outcome ..best if we’re going by the rumors seeming most genuine. Mbappe joining us before he blitzed onto the scene, that might not even seem better because we would’ve missed the part where he blitzed it, then those huge fees would not have been made/mooted.

  3. Auba was brought because he was available and because Wenger in the summer in his delusional mind thought Sanchez was going to stay.

    Had Auba not been available, we would’ve only got Mkhi.

    1. Maybe Lucas Moura I reckon, he would choose us if we went in that direction. Also some options were …Asensio / Draxler / Benzema / Malcom / Lemar / Zaha / Ozyakup / Forsberg / Bailey…

  4. Wenger is so reluctant to build a complete squad since after the invincible era. He could have a good defense but bad striking department, good strikers but bad midfielders, always something missing to complete a winning team. Taking into account he’s the most experienced manager in the league and still doesn’t know how a DM and good defense win you titles, I don’t know what kind of expirience he possesses, lying may be, penny pinching, favoritism..??

  5. I don’t think Laca is a step below top level but I do agree that Wenger does not fancy him. It’s a real shame that he will most probably become another player whose career was ruined by Wenger. Just look at the fact that Lucas is out on loan now 18 months after being a panick buy and it has impacted his career as he was doing very well and this is just how Laca is probably going.

  6. Do you make that ,I think Wenger doesn’t fancy him, because you know he doesn’t or it is just a friction turn into facts. This is a player who had play every EPL before pea was bought and kept Giroud out of the team. Lucas is doing well!! Please define doing well because i read the other deportivo fans want him out of their club. If he is doing well that won’t be the case.

  7. Go back to the summer
    and we could have sold
    Chamberlain 40m Gabriel 9m Gibbs 7m
    Xhaka 25m Sanchez 60m Walcott 25m Giroud 20m
    Wellbeck 15m and Perez 10m
    = 211m.
    We could have bought Auba 70m
    and still had 141m for a top DM, a CB, and another Am.
    But Arsenal have all these complicated games they play
    and end up paying over the odds for players who often do not work out.
    Honestly no transfers are good transfers while Arsene remains.
    Might as well buy 2m Holdings or 3m Mavropanos
    and play the academy players like Niles Nelson Willock Bielic Sheaf.
    If they fail they can be let go easily because they
    were cheap to buy and are not on huge salaries.

  8. If you look back at mys posts I never rated Lacca highly he is a decent striker but we don’t play the way to get the best out of him. Wenger is as usual treating players poorly and inconsistent e.g
    Lacca never plays 90mins
    Xhaka plays every game every minute
    I know who I think is better
    For me I cannot think of another midfielder who we bought worse than Xhaka
    We have not fixed the problems we have(as always) hoodwinked) the fans
    We have not spent a penny in the last two windows we’ve spent what been generated
    I have not and then I’ll not spend a penny on the club till that awful manager is gone(don’t give me history lessons about how good he is/was)
    It may be the board but until wenger has gone we won’t know. All you AKB when worry about when. He’s gone look at Klopp his side are playing the football we crave
    We are disorganised

  9. I don’t think Lacazette9 is not good enough, I think Arsenal as a team plays too deep Auba14 too played against Spurs and he didn’t do nothing for 90mins. Sorry to say this, Messi will flop under Wenger’s style because his restriction on players is simply ridiculous. Secondly, our fullbacks are not helping us either. Bellerin needs to be druped to the bench for Niles. He’s our weakest link in the team. Kolasinac or Monrael can play at left back. Lastly for the attack, we have loads of Attacking players in the team. We could play Ramsey as our strike with Ozil behind him in a four-four-two formation. They will both score goals. I think Ramsey is a good finisher of the Ball and he often gets into dangerous area. We could do exploit before Lacazette9 comes back. Mr Wenger please try something new and tactical

  10. Did you see what Liverpool did away from home yesterday? That’s because they have a manager who knows how to use his materials. Wenger for me has a better squad than Klopp. But he’s not playing with the right tactics and formation. Arsenal can not play 3-2-2-1, 3-4-3 or 4-2-3-1. You need one or two holding Midfielders to hold Ball in the middle of the park. that’s the dynamics of Santi Cazolar, Mikel Artetar and Alex Song. Secondly you would need natural wingers who can take on defenders one on one to play with this tactics and formation. The players we have now can only do four-four-two. Guys what’s your take on this?

    1. I agree about the taking on of players, we play everything in front unless Ozil can see a ball beyond the back-line.

      You have to beat your first man if you want defenders to drop their shape, but we just fob responsibility over and over like we are trying to tire our opponents. You need to get the second and third man coming out to you, beating your man (no pun please) will pull them out of their said shape. That’s why our defenders are so easy to get at, they are usually the only ones between themselves and the GK, Also many times they are sucked out of defensive after some ball watching, rarely will we look around and over our shoulder, or check to see if one of ours is already making movements to get out there.

      We have our CB’s sucked out wide so easily, by the same token would our players even try to beat the first man before trying to suck a well positioned player out of position and/or out wide. I don’t see it much, everyone who receives the ball seems to have a man blocking his path, unless he pass’s backward, it’s infuriating watching them waiting for a mistake to happen or for someone else to take the responsibility. Cowardly bunch we have/had, except for maybe Alexis Ramsey Wilshere Monreal, I cannot fault those players for bravery efforts and such. Quality could be a different matter though and f@@k Alexis now anyways.

  11. Let’s all give Alexandre Lacazette a second chance. He may not be in the class of Lewandowski, Higuain, Aguero and Kane, but he is a notch below them. He only has a bad patch. Suarez’s stats was worse than Laca in his first EPL season. This guy will return stronger next season. He goes NOWHERE

    1. Totally correct.His game is being affected by our shape and constant changes.We need to play to his strengths to get the best from him.I believe he is a very very good all round footballer and there is no reason both Laca and Auba cannot play on the same team.
      Next season will see the best from him.
      In regards Wenger not fancying him is wrong.We are talking about a man who treats the clubs finances as if it were his own and would not have sanctioned £50m for a player he did not rate.

  12. You still don’t realise that Lacazette has been carrying the knee injury since he was bought hence the reduced game time. And scheduled surgery that was announced once we had another striker (Aubameyang) that could lead the line in his absence.
    Disregard these attention seeking former players who want cheap popularity by slamming Arsenal.
    Lucas Perez is actually doing poorly in Deportivo who are likely to get relegated. People look at his goal stats in Arsenal but don’t check the quality of opposition he got those goals against.

  13. Well said Abel.For me the sale of Gabriel was a big mistake.He is a cut above Mustafi and sadly a rapidly dealing Koscielney.

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