All Arsenal fans are aware that Alexandre Lacazette’s contract is set to expire this June, but with the lack of striker options and the amount of game tiime that Mikel Arteta has been giving him, many pundits thought it would be wise for Arsenal to offer the Frenchman a one-year extension for next season.
But now Lacazette has made it very clear he will not be staying at Arsenal after this summer, as he said in an interview with CanalPlus: “I am in discussions with a lot of clubs. I am open.”
The 30 year-old joined his hometown club Lyon as a fresh-faced 12 year-old and remained there for his whole career before joining up with Arsene Wenger at Arsenal 5 years ago. There have been many suggestions that he would love to return home after leaving the Gunners, and he has admitted that it could be a possibility: “I have never cut contact with Lyon since I left.” Lacazette continued. “I try to return to the club once or twice a year to see the medical staff because we are really close. Lyon knows that I am free, they have come to the information.“
The big spanner in the works though, is that Lyon are currently 8th in Ligue 1, and they are very unlikely to catch up to the Champions League places, and Lacazette admitted that could delay his return to his hometown: “It’s a bit more complicated.” he said. “I want to play in Europe, it’s been a long time since I played in the Champions League, I’m missing it. It’s a little more complicated, nothing is impossible in life, but it’s a little more complicated.”
So this summer is going to be even harder for Edu and Arteta, as once Lacazette and Nketiah have left, the only centre-forward we will have left on our books is Folarin Balogun and some other academy products. Buying a top class established striker will take up a lot of our transfer kitty and there are still other pressing needs to be filled in the squad.
It should be a very interesting summer for Arsenal fans!
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So even Lacazette who cannot score a goal to save his destiny wants to run away from arsenal to play UCL after failing to do the basic things any normal striker would do to make us qualify. I said it here in January that Lacazette ‘s so-called form was just an audition for his next big contract. It’s all playing out before our eyes. Nketiah is going too and yet, Pepe, who happens to our biggest goal threat and best finisher cannot get more than 20mins maximum in a game. All hail King Arteta
Personally very disappointed how things have been turning out though I am not surprised because I was among those people calling and questioning how we could not help ourselves in January when the opportunity was there for the taking…
Did I expect us to finish top 4 earlier in the season hell No. Us been in top 4 mix is not because of how brilliant we have been but simply because of how terrible the united and spurs have been… Spurs and united have had a terrible season and many disruptions we have been years ahead of them in stability so it was an opportunity to grab that spot.
January was when top 4 was lost we weakened our squad that was already weak without any sort of strengthening, what are you smoking? Thinking you can survive with only 13 players with quarter of a season left to play, then suddenly out of blue you want Lonkonga,Pepe, Teveras to come to your rescue. Live rarely work out that way
Good luck to Laca
He was never a good goal scoring striker all his time with us, those criticizing him are just doing so out of frustration and unreasonable expectation, the buttom line is he should never have been put in this position in the first place
Arsenal captain course extends
Lacazette is the reason Arteta has to go.
Both Laca and Nketiah proved beyond any doubt and over several games that they are not top level players.
But even after a dozen worthless performances Arteta continues to play them. It’s bizarre. It shows Arteta is tactically sound and may be a good man manager but he has zero ability to judge player potential and ability.
Meanwhile Pepe can’t get a game?!? Madness. Martinelli up front or even try Pepe there. It’s not as if we have no other options that To play players that are proven 100% not to be good enough.
We seem content with buying players to destroy them, Saliba, Pepe and a host of others before them, replace Arteta with Diego Simeon and see how good Arsenal are even with the present personel
Lacazette did not say he is leaving Arsenal to play in the CL at all.
He said
1. “Its all very complicated.
2. He is open
3. He wants to play in Europe.
4. He “misses” the CL.
5. I am in discussion with a lot of clubs.
Basically he is saying I want the best deal I can get. He does not specify but generalises trying to create a bidding war. I doubt he cares who he plays for and what competitions he is in as long as he gets a 3 year contract and it pays well.
Exactly fairfan.
Yes and spot on! This failed player is regularly shagged out half way through games and is about as useless as a chocolate fireguard.
The sooner he leaves the better.
I CARE NOTHING OF WHERE HE GOES BUT I DO CARE WHEN AND HOW SOON HE LEAVES.
IMO, there is not even a one percent chance of him being here next season. None at all, mercifully!
“An interesting summer for Arsenal fans”? I think it will be a very scary summer, looks like Laca has played his last game for us, Nketiah could stay but is he the answer and who will want to join us, not being in Europe again? All these high profile players we are constantly linked with want Champions League football, or Europa League football as a minimum. I can’t see us being in either next season.
Personally I think we will get 6th Declan ,depending on our these next 3 games go ,if we can get 3 points out of the 9 we should still be on for that position .
Disappointing yes but that’s where this club as settled for .
Our best bet is to forget about Europe for the time being, get in the best reinforcements that we can and try our best next season…IJS
If anyone had said this under the previous manager, it would be that he lost the dressing room.
Those who claimed he’s looking for a high bumper deal bla bla, it makes no sense.
He’s likely to earn more in Arsenal in one year alone , than any club he’s to join now.
Lyon don’t have the financial power as we do, so they won’t be paying him as much as we currently offer him if he eventually join them.
Auba also accept pay cut to join baca.
Nketia is likely to earn less at the team h e join come next season.
Those are 3 strikers with zero transfer fees.
They all happen to leave in the same season, never have I witness such in our history.
But apparently our manager has united the team and the fan..
Our team is definitely not united, there are more players wanting out, it isnt all sweetness and light at the emirates.
Kaay, you mention Auba, Laca and Nketia and I’ll raise you Pires, Edu and Wiltord who were allowed to leave on free transfers at the end of the 05/06 season.
When did pires, edu became strikers ??
More so, didn’t we have Henry??
Tell me who we got after those 3 in that position that are still currently in the squad.
And did we paid Henry to join Barca just like we have done with Auba??
My mistake, I missed the part about strikers.
16 years later, none of them as they would be in the mid 30’s at the very least.
As for paying Auba, we paid a fraction of what he was entitled to.
Saliba recently played for France, ben white wouldn’t get near the french women’s team, Brooke Norton cuffy I hear is light years better than free-kick specialist Cedric. give Mika biereth a chance nothing to lose now
Of course White couldn’t get near the French women’s team, he’s English🙄
Arteta owes a lot to laca – I can only think of a very short run at the start of this season when we actually looked decent and laca wasn’t involved. Aside from that we’ve only ever looked a top 4 side when he’s been playing – so he can’t be that bad.
If he could finish chances even just slightly more consistently I genuinely think he’d be thought of as highly as auba was in the past for what he brings to the side as a whole, but instead he’s considered an utter failure by many – fine margins. I can’t think of a more obvious case of scape-goating an arsenal player than had been the case with laca recently – and that’s saying a lot!