Lacazette deserves a contract extension! (opinion)
As summer is fast approaching – although the weather in England is saying different – so is the transfer window and all the sagas that it brings with it.
So here I go speaking about one of our key players this season, Alexandre Lacazette.
His contract is ending next summer and it remains to be seen whether Arsenal will extend or let him go.
I would love for him to stay but then I would not want it to be the same situation as Aubameyang, where he signed an extension, and I know it is fair to say our captain hasn’t had the best of seasons what with everything going on, but he hasn’t lived up to the player that we know he can be.
But as Covid restrictions seem to be lifting, fans seem to be allowed to be coming back, a transfer plan is seemingly in place for the club, and with the future looking brighter, well lets put it this way it can’t be any worse than the appalling season we have just had now can it. Well of course, it can, relegation can happen, but there is no way this team will let that happen no matter how much they struggle.
So it is with huge hope that myself, and I am sure a lot of fans and Aubameyang himself, hope that next season for individual players and for the team itself, will be a much more successful season on all fronts.
I personally would like to see Lacazette be given a contract extension though, if of course he wants one, more often than not he has seen us through games this season, and if he wasn’t injured and had returned fully for the Europa League semi-finals, who knows what the outcome would have been.
He is not perfect, no one is, but if Lacazette is told he can leave and the likes of Nketiah can stay then it really would not be fair.
Lacazette deserves a contract extension for his passion, love and performances he has put in this season, he is experienced and has a good relationship with senior and younger players on and off the pitch, but as always, Arsenal very rarely make the best decisions for the sake of the club now, do they.
Well we can always hope and see what happens come summertime can’t we!
Shenel Osman
Depends if the person given the contract wants us to stay mid table or climb back upto where we belong .
Personally never been a big fan of his but can see how some fans rate him ,when you have been spoilt growing up with the strikers we have had watching Laca is a bit of a comedown for me .
Dan, why are you always in a minority?
Am I David ,didn’t realise i was till you just mentioned it .
😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃
Dan kit
Must say i agree with you there if he was a 20 + goal a season striker but he’s not
Heads or tails if he stays I’m not fussed.
And we have been blessed with some great strikers and CHAMAKH
Yaya Sanogo begs to differ. Hold Park Chu Young’s beer while at it. Did I mention Francis Jeffers?
Highbury hero
Did they score more than 10 goals between them 😆🤣
I have checked Laurie. Only 4 and all from Jeffers. Some strikers for us. 😂
I miss the days when Man utd fans will joke about our Sanogo and Asano and we would do the same for Bebe and Djemba Djemba.
well he has consistently scored about 20 goals every season
he provides alternative
I would say yes, Laca always puts in a lot of effort. 1 year extension on the same pay otherwise he should go. We can’t keep getting stuck in the same cycle
That’s what I thought – one year top. But if they’re about getting any value from him, probably extend and sell in the summer.
For me it more a question of whether we can afford a better option or not. With the player Laca I have no problem. He has neither blown me away nor been a total disappointment.
In fact the bigger problem is that I don’t think he fits in the same starting 11 as Auba.
In a way I think we are better with Laca than with Auba. Laca in the centre would prove more room for Martinelli on the left wing. I think Laca is better in the centre than Auba in terms of work rate, holdup play and involving others as well as giving CB a harder time physically.
So depending on his salary demands and what other options we could bring in to replace him, I could live with him coming back. This assumes that Edu negotiates a sensible contract and not an Auba type of contract that will sufficate us and take any incentive for performance away.
A tough decision to be honest.
He is a good player and obviously a likeable character. And he is different to Auba in style and what they can offer (not saying better or worse). Vareity is needed in the squad.
With that said, there are a lot of but-s, contractual situation, wage/budget restrictions, age, the need of a tall physically present striker, Bologan, Gabi (and Moller), returning to form with no Covid or malarya or his family situation, how much can Arsenal get for him, the presence of European football, because no Europe means less matches and difficulty with large squad.
Factors are too many, We will have to trust Edu and MA in this.
Auba returning to form*
No, but I prefer him to stay instead of our other strikers. Because his link-up ability is currently the best among all forwards at Arsenal and it’s difficult to find a CF like him
We’ve seen how a CF that fits into his manager’s system can help the team a lot. Wolves are struggling without Jimenez, Man United were dull without Ighalo/ Cavani, Chelsea weren’t able to build their attack without Havertz and Spurs were also bad without Kane
This is why finding a taller CF with excellent ball holding ability is crucial in the summer. If we can’t find that type of forward or false nine, we might have to revert to the defensive counter-attacking tactics
Not to mention Everton’s Calvin-Lewin and Villa’s Watkins!
Yes, they’re very important to their teams as well. Entering the new season with both Aubameyang and Lacazette in the starting line-ups will lead to inconsistent results, as what we’ve seen since Wenger’s time
exactly…we need a giroud type striker and laca to rotate
provide different.form of attack
Nikolaj Moeller will be a year older and stronger. 18 yo and 1.94m (6’4″), Moller is currently scoring at a rate of a goal every second game for the U23’s, expected to improve once he becomes more ruthless in front of goal. He possesses a very good all round game, good passing, quick for a tall man with fast acceleration, being compared to the great Kanu.
Aguero, Suarez, De Lima Ronaldo, these players were not tall but they led their teams from the front well.
I don’t know what putting in a shift means. Lacazette is not a coal miner. He was brought in score goals. Will be surprised if he doesn’t return, mainly because Arsenal’s head hunter’s won’t have much money and there aren’t too many options out there. Don’t expect him to be prolific though.
The simple answer is no. He is not outstanding. Therefore other players can do the same job which is a job not the job.
We need to be RUTHLESS!! lacca is not world class simple so should be sold. Besides I think we should focus on having auba as the main striker with balogan and martinelli as deputies.
Use the lavca money to get some creativity in the rest of the park.
I would love love love to see Jack grealish in a arsenal top
I would rather prefer to keep Lacca than Eddie, Willian, Ceballos and Ordegaad.
Aquero 5 ft 9, Suarez is 5 ft 11 and ronaldo is 6 ft
they are considered to be short
I would sell Auba, Nkethia and Laca and go for either Andre Silva or Dominic Calvert Lewin, while Gabi and Balogun deputies.
These guys are past their prime(30s) and no matter what, they won’t give more than what they’re giving now, Nkethia has been around this squad for some time now and even prefered ahead of Gabi but he’s not showing enough to be trusted and with his contract almost up he should be in the market.
I agree with you to be honest. If I could keep one of the three, it would be Laca, though. He’s the only one to show any sort of consistency as the lone CF, it’s really just his finishing that has let him down at Arsenal.
If we are looking for a tall striker that can hold up play and bring others into the game, I know of a certain frenchman. He has a thick beard and wears the blue of a West London club. He currently is lacking in playing time and would be happy to move to arsenal if we try him considering he once played for us. A certain section of idiots would point out that we would be going backwards. But there is no one better than him at what he does except lewandowski. Bringing him back would be astute business on a 1-2 year deal before we get a long term alternative.
I would sell Nketiah and Auba before Lacca who has the ability to link up with Saka, ESR and Martinelli which is beyond the technical skills of the other two.While it may be practical to sell or swap Nketiah, we are likely to be stuck with Auba for the duration of his ludicrous contract at a time when his main asset, his pace, is on the wane.Lacca can assist to bring on Balogun next season and in the absence of a ready made replacement I would offer him a one year extension on his current wages.Footballers do not have a divine right to obtain the offer of a salary increase when their contract is up for review.
Its a no for me! Great guy and I thank him for his service at arsenal!
If we want another season like this season, then let’s continue with the same players. “What’s the first sign of madness”
Callum Wilson I think would be a great shout for us…
Without laca, this season would be worse. Callum Wilson is not an upgrade on Lacazette plus he would cost quite a lot. Keeping laca should be a no brainer.
Provided he is happy to play for the same or similar wages.
Many things need to be considered, his current wages, expected wages, length of the contract extension and his acceptance to being transfered out, so it seems complicated. He never was nor will be a prolific 20 goal a season, thus if he has high expectations for wages / bonuses and longer contract, then he should move.He has been a 10-15 goal a season fella, good to have, but if the economics do not work for the club, he should move. Also, we are in one competion less, the league cup is domionated by fringe players, so ideally we are in two competitions only, so if he agrees for a wage cut (most unlikely), then he should stay over Eddie. In fact all senior players should have their wages docked for no European football, as it was due to them, we have to endure this goom, and this should apply to Mikel and his coaching team too. Sadly, some janitor will lose his job as part of curtailing the expenditure.
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This decision can’t be made in a vacuum.
Reason says nope, unless we can’t get anything from the sell.
Tactics says maybe, as he jells with ESR and Saka.
Can’t play Auba and him together, so it is either or, and who makes the team better overall in the scoring department as a team.
So, bring on Balo and Martin and move either Auba or Laca.
Talk about lowered expectations…he didn’t earn his present contract so why would you double-down on this underwhelming aging player, who will undoubtedly demand a considerable wage with a player friendly term…he actually should have been sold off last summer
Really hasn’t impressed me over the years he’s been here. Why would you offer him a new contract at the age of 30? Haven’t a clue what his current value is but it’s got to be better than letting him go for a free next year? I know his work rate is good but goals must be the aim of any CF and his scoring record fairly modest. Imo we’ve seen the best of Auba but his huge contract will make it difficult to sell him unless we cover part of his salary. We obviously haven’t learned a thing from the recent past!! My opinion? Show faith in our youngsters, Martinelli and Balogun, we’ve given Nketiah enough chances to prove himself.
Sell willian instead please thank you.