Kevin Campbell has claimed that Alexandre Lacazette is instrumental to the way that Arsenal’s team are playing at present, despite the limited praise he receives.
The striker has stepped up in the absence of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, filling in as captain as well as the main outlet in front of goal in recent weeks, and the whole team appears to be rallying behind him.
Campbell has moved to liken his performances to that of Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino, who leads the line despite not being the main source for goals.
“Lacazette has been outstanding in the last few games,” Campbell stated.
“He’s just like Firmino at Liverpool. He probably doesn’t get the goals he could or should but he is so essential to the way in which the team play.
“In my opinion, he is an unsung hero. You need to watch him closely for a few weeks to realise he is the glue for these young players. He knits it all together so well.
“He is performing like a true captain, he really is. There has been some great displays in recent weeks. Long may it continue.
“I know he only has six months left on his contract but he never shirks a challenge. He is always committed, unlike the previous captain. Lacazette is fully committed.”
The Frenchman is into the last months of his current contract however, and the club must decide whether they wish to pursue a new deal and commit to building the team around him, one which his recent performances will no doubt have them thinking.
The ultimate plan appears to be to bring in a new option to lead the line however, but you cannot overlook the impressive way the team is rallying together at present.
Has Laca proved that he is an integral part of this Arsenal team? Should we be pursuing a new contract for him?
Patrick
Watch Albert Stuivenberg’s FULL Press conference here….
He deserve to be captain.
Works hard, links well, does not score goals, limited assists andat age 30 slowing down, never had much speed anyway. No good in the air.
Altogether, some plusses, more minuses and he needs replacing this summer or better still this month if poss!
This time I will completely agree with you jonny boy .
This is the time to make a statement and get a world class striker in and just maybe we might see the best of what mr Arteta can do .
Would be great to replace Xhaka as well but we can all dream on that one as every Arsenal manager seems to love him for some strange reason.
I think you are disingenuously forgetting to list some of his more important points, Jon:
He presses like a maniac, tackles hard, draws a lot of fouls, good leader to the kids, experienced, difficult role to replace.
He plays as a false number 9 now, not as a striker. Scoring goals is no longer his most important function.
He has speed of thought and action – pace is not so important – his role it to harry, make space and get the ball quickly to the runners in ESR, Saka and GM.
He is playing his best football for 3 years and is on exactly the same wavelength as the young guns.
More importantly I think we will struggle to find another younger player to fulfill his role, and he is currently integral to our gameplan and evolution.
Although I think he will go and I understand why, I shudder to think how we will cope without him.
No Guy! I am not “FORGETTING” any of his qualities. No fan, including me “forgets” what players do or do not bring. Neither am I, A WELL KNOWN SEEKER OF TRUTH, on JA at all “disingenous”.
That is a wrong and unfair accusation which I CHALLENGE YOU TO PROVE, IF YOU CAN. I say you are not able to do so.
What fans do is to differ in our opinions of HOW IMPORTANT those plusses and minuses are.
I much dislike and therefore challenge plainly incorrect language such as your ” forgetting”and “disingenuous” lines.
I think Kevin is sugar coating things.
If we want to take the next step we have to let all these old stagers go.
Do we miss Ozil Sanchez Ramsey Walcott Iwobi Willian Mustafi Socritis Willock Luiz Bellerin Torreira Guendouzie Saliba. No. Will we miss Auba Pepe Elneny Mari Holding Kolasinac Chambers Niles Nketiah Cedric Nelson?
No we just paid a lot of money for players who are now or never were good enough and the club wants much higher coin than is being offered in the covid market while some are retained only because they are qouta players.
Xhaka is lucky Ramsdale Tomi White Gabriel Tierney Partey have been in sublime form while Auba and Lacazette have been bailed out by the unexpected scoring of ESR Saka Odegaard and now Martinelli. We should have sold Xhaka to Roma and bought Bissouma but that one got away on us. I like Auba Laca and Xhaka who have been good honest pros but its time to move on. Having said all of that it was the best team in the land we just lost to and only in the 93rd minute down to 10 men the last half hour. Every game will be a little easier now even Chelsea Spurs and Westham away Liverpool and Man U at home I do not fear. So whether they go in Jan or July they along with anothe 6-7 must go. As Claude from AFTV used to say “It’s time to go”.
if he’s the “glue”, we’re in deep sh** as an organization moving forward…say it isn’t so KC…what’s next, Xhaka getting the armband back for good behaviour???
just to clarify, as it’s an all too common refrain on this site for some to jump to conclusions, I’m not suggesting that Laca has nothing to offer or that he hasn’t risen to the occasion, in recent weeks, I’m simply saying that only at Arsenal could our supposed “glue” player be someone on an expiring contract and who, for the vast majority of his tenure here, hasn’t deserved his considerable wages…the only silver lining of this whole f***ed up equation is that we now have a bit of a “blueprint” regarding the kind of player who might best operate within the confines of our current tactical setup…as such, we should aggressively target younger more clinical players who fit this particular profile
I have always liked Laca as a player, he was a good signing, has performed well for us over the seasons and is currently doing a decent job linking up with the fellas around him to help create a better team performance than when Auba was playing and we are now getting more goals from Saka, ESR, Ode and Marti so him not scoring isn’t such an issue at the moment, it’s working
But, sorry Super Kev, comparisons with Firmino?, he has now effectively been replaced by Jota who scores goals and when Firmino was playing and not scoring so much he had Salah and Mane around him to do the job rather than youngsters trying to establish themselves
I think it will be time for Laca to move on in the summer but we need him right now and for the rest of the season, I can’t think of a reason why Arsenal would let him leave in January or for that matter why it would suit Laca to leave now when he could do his deal with a non English Premier League Club now and join them in the summer but stay on EPL wages for a bit longer and who knows maybe win a trophy
I can’t see him staying in England but I can see him moving on to a good Continental European Club with all of our blessings at the right time
For me its the pressing and he has infused these in the front players. Pressing makes the opposition hurriedly haul the ball away and give us back the possession.
Its obvious how the front 4 has improved since Auba did us a favour and got himself out of the team. Lacca starts the press, finishes the press wins the ball back in his own half and gives a platform for his speedier runners to do their thing. He isnt scoring goals but at the moment that isn’t his job. He will leave in the summer, we may or may not get an upgrade but he is doing the unselfish work and that needs to be replaced by whoever comes in. Big big part of how we are playing at the moment.
He must stay. We are such a better team with him in the team The work that he does is remarkable and the way he links the play so unselfishly is overlooked People are talking about a new striker coming in but where is that striker and will he be able to fit into the structure
Exactly Derek – all those calling for Lacazette to go, are the ones who complain about kronkie – and then expect him to cough up for a new CF who will cost, at least £35,000,000 and then expect said player to fit in immediately, before we lose too many games.
Lacazette was superb against city and, in fact, has been since MA dropped Aubameyang and gave him the responsibility of overseeing the education of our younger players.
Some of these fans were also glorifying the amount of goals we have scored lately, but don’t seem to understand that it is Lacs who is inspiring this change of fortune up front.
I’m so fed up reading the amount of players that need to leave for one reason or another – how the hell we dominated city with “dross” like this, I’ll never know!!!!!
exactly….
fans are just too used to Fifa 21 where players are not humans in there
Well said Ken.Lacazette is maybe not the future but he is an important cog in a new wheel which is beginning to gather speed.Personally I think Watkins of Villa is the ideal type of striker we need.A prodigious worker on and off the ball,tall, strong ,quick ,links well with others and, most importantly ,he is proving himself in the EPL.The only problem, and it is a big one, is persuading Villa to sell.As I think you are an ex player FF, I would be interested to have your views on Watkins v Calvin Lewin ?
Apologies Grandad, I have only just picked this up, ex Walking Football player now!
Both good, proven Premier League players who could fit in with our style and team pattern and improve our selection options, out of the two from what I have seen I would go for Watkins myself but as you say unlikely that either will be made available by their respective Clubs in the summer and certainly not January
A more likely possibility would be the availability of Calum Wilson in the summer if Newcastle go down, again someone I think would fit in well with our current squad and would be a good replacement for Laca who I believe will go then
At the moment we don’t know as fans whether Auba and/or Eddie will stay or go and I think whoever comes in will be driven by the outcome of that to some degree
I would imagine that Arteta and Edu do know what they want to happen there and be planning accordingly, January too early for all that but you never know in top flight football
Tbh, i dont think Lacca will extend his days at Arsenal, and really who could blame him, but what he is giving is to the world is come and buy me performances, at his age does he need regular first team football, will he sign an extension and become a squad player, no one knows but himself,personally i would like him to stay and help blood his successor i would also like to see Arsenal aggressively go for his replacement this window, but i would also err on the side of caution, go for the player who you really want not an overpriced primadonna, go for a player who will squad well and fight for his starting place, too many times we let a price tag fool us in thinking there the choosen one,
Even if Lacazette is performing a(come and buy me) form, I still salute his leadership, holdup play,
The only reason I feel Arsenal should let him go, is because we are rebuilding,
To replace Lacazette effectively, I guess we would need to make the midfield thick, get bissouma /Guimaeres, this way we can push and make holdup play easier, free up odegaard, and allow the new striker, Saka and Martinelli make runs .
Spot on Longbenark, Laca is a player that has always and always will give everything for the team and the shirt he is wearing and although I’m sure he has one eye on impressing the potential marketplace it hasn’t really changed how he plays
Spot on again in my opinion on your 2nd paragraph, it will be time to move on in the summer and bring in someone who fits what Arteta is trying to build rather than who the media and fans are calling for and it’s a jigsaw puzzle, one piece has to fit with all the others
It could still be a big name who costs a lot but it’s got to fit
Thanks @ FF, I cant really think of a striker presently that would tick all Lacazette’s skills and add pace, dribbling and goals, that’s why I suggested enforcing the midfield, Liverpool and ManCity keep doing that, probably that’s why they are Consistent, the midfield is where games are won,
What we actually need, are more hard workers like Lacazette, we already have Martinelli, Saka is a different kind of worker, somehow I feel we need Bissouma/Cucurella/Guimaeres,
I’m anxious to see what Arteta and Edu are cooking, by now I feel Nketiah should be on his way out, Balogun should be on loan, and we should be seriously linked to a purchase.