Alexandre Lacazette arrived at Arsenal from Lyon as our most expensive signing ever, but despite scoring 6 goals for the Gunners he has rarely played the whole 90 minutes in any game so far. He has not been playing in any cup matches at all, and he wasn’t even given a starting spot in our away matches against Liverpool and Man City, two of our most difficult games this season. Laca was finally brought on (and scored!) against City, and after the game Alan Shearer suggested that the striker should be asking Arsene Wenger the reasons for his exclusion.
But, according to his agent David Venditelli, Lacazette has no problem with Arsene Wenger as yet. “It’s not worrying, because he played at Chelsea,” Venditelli said. “Our way of working is to relativise things: 11 matches, nine starts. Of course, it’s not nice to see that he didn’t start that match, but it wa, as Arsene Wenger explained, for tactical reasons.
“He’s learning. Alex needs to have calm around him. He’s happy, and Arsenal are too with his work. It’s not because a player doesn’t play, even though it’s two important games of course. He would have preferred to have played them.”
“When you’re outside the club, I can understand the questions,”
“I understand, but I think Alex isn’t complaining about his playing time, even if he would prefer to start games like those against City or Liverpool.
“But he talks to the manager, the staff — there’s no problem. Afterwards, there’s a choice made. You can’t, every time your player doesn’t play, even if it’s Alexandre Lacazette, knock on the door or pick up the phone and talk to the manager. No, no, it’s not time yet. Everything is fine.”
Lacazette may not be complaining, but Arsenal fans are! Why on Earth can it be tactical to leave your most likely goalscorer on the bench when you are facing your toughest opponents? Against Man City, Wenger played Alexis as the main striker, when the Chilean is not in his best form and only scored once this season. It makes no sense at all!
Darren N.