Paul Merson has warned Arsenal not to consider giving Alexandre Lacazette a new deal no matter how many goals he scores in this second half of the season.
The Frenchman will be out of contract at the end of this campaign and he is almost certain to leave.
Lacazette has never been a prolific striker for Arsenal, and there is almost no point keeping him.
He can start discussing with clubs outside England now in search of the best next home for him.
With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang now out of the Arsenal squad, Lacazette will get more playing chances.
He could take them and score many goals, but former Gunner, Merson says that should not make them consider giving him a new deal.
He tells Sky Sports: “Now, if Alexandre Lacazette goes and gets 10 goals before the end of the season, they can’t get lazy and just give him a new deal worth £250,000-a-week, thinking it might be his season next season.
“However, for me, Lacazette has had his time at Arsenal. Whatever he does between now and the end of the season, he’s had his chance at the Emirates Stadium.”
Just Arsenal Opinion
Lacazette has truly had his chances at the club, and he has never quite taken them.
The Frenchman remains one of the most important players at the club, especially because we don’t have many strikers now.
However, the next five months should be his last at the club, regardless of how he performs.
Agree with him. We should invest in a young striker rather than repeating the Auba or ozil situations
Spot on PM…these are the kind of commonsensical decisions that need to be made on a regular basis going forward, especially if we want to actually return to a position of relevance in the not too distant future
If we sell Lava and Nketiah, we will be bringing new strikers that will need to learn the Arsenal philosophy and style of play. I will rather he is given a performance based contract if he will accept and bring in another striker to replace Nketiah. We still need his leadership up front. We can then sell him or let him go for free in the 2023 summer transfer window. Sound tacky but it is something that can be explored. Tavarez and Lokonga and still trying to establish themselves in the league, we have to be careful with the strikers position.
I agree Ayo.
Arsenal will invest in a new young and talented striker in the summer and having Laca alongside him will lift some pressure off his shoulders and help him settle gradually.
If Laca could accept a one year extension it would make sense to me. He’s won’t score 20 goals next season but does everything else well and can also play as a 10. He works hard, is professional and has got experience.
Spot on JA OPINION and Merse!
Laca should be given a new contract with conditions that suits him and favours the club. The club needs a leader and Laca with his leadership qualities can be
an asset to the club
It is also important to note that Auba stood in Laca’s way at Arsenal. Laca played half of Auba’s minutes Auba would play every single game while Laca would be playing the bench
It is pretty obvious that Laca will leave at the end of the season.the fact that his agent had started talks with other clubs and Arsenal haven’t offered him anything,says it all.