Noel Whelan believes Alexandre Lacazette will favour leaving Arsenal by the end of this season because he would get a better financial deal as a free agent.
The Frenchman would be out of contract by the end of this season and has delayed talks of an extension until the summer.
Arsenal could offer him a new deal because he has been in fine form in the last few months.
He doesn’t score so many goals, but his holdup play and overall leadership have been very important to the Gunners in the past few weeks.
Mikel Arteta has trusted him with an important role in the team, and it could tempt the striker to remain in the group if they make the top four.
However, former Leeds United man, Whelan believes the ex-Lyon star will favour finding a new club.
He tells Football Insider: “Lacazette has been excellent. Not just his performances but also his character, considering he is coming out of contract very soon.
“You can only give him great credit for leading by example. If they were to give him a contract then he’d deserve it.
“But I think the player will be looking for that one last massive payday. This contract is more than likely going to be his last big contract.
“That will only come from a free transfer to another club.”
Just Arsenal Opinion
Lacazette has deserved a new deal not just because he is in top form, but because we also need his influence in that dressing room next season.
He is one of the most senior and influential players in the current Arsenal team, and he would be useful if he remained in the squad.
However, we may have to match the offers he would get from outside the club to convince him to stay.
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I don’t think he is worth the wages he would want.
We have Tierney, Odegaard, Gabriel, Xhaka, plenty of leaders in the dressing room. That is a poor reason to extend Laca.
We need a striker who can score goals if we want to continue to progress and compete with the best. Also need a plan B for winning crosses in the box, clearly not Laca either.
Laca has never been threatening against the big clubs during his time at Arsenal. Best we upgrade in the Summer.
yess….
I suspect there are on JA, quite a number of us who agre with me. I do not buy this increasingly wrong but now common ratingof LACA as an highly effective player who is looked up to by the younger players.
I have no doubt he IS popular in the dressing room but on the pitch he is slow, lacks cutting edge and to me seems like an old man struggling and failing to keep up with the fast andhungry kids.
No goals, no ability in the air, no sharpness onthe turn ,no speed any more- he never had much anyway – and he is just way overhyped by many on here which I DO NOT AGREE ABOUT.
I firmly hope and on balance also believe, that this summer we will get at least one top younger striker and another who shows promise, enough to be back up.
And above all, I hope to see ineffective Laca leave. I expect abuse for having that opinion from certain fans, just as I HAVE RECEIVED BY CORRECTLY WANTING BOTH OZIL AND AUBA TO GO.
BOTH HAVE BEEN HARMFUL IN THEIR LATTER PERIOD HERE.
Jon I think your comments are fair and also easily seen on the pitch. He is supposed to be scoring goals and making runs into the box, not trudging up from the midfield building up play.
Look no further than this;
Martinelli turns 3 Liverpool players inside out; TAA, Henderson, and Matip, dribbles towards the near post cuts the ball back toward the middle of the box and Laca isn’t ready to make a run.
Compare that to Liverpool when Robertson found Firmino near post for the tap-in after his dribble.
This is a reoccurring theme with Laca, and all the false 9 excuses can’t overcome this failing as a striker. This problem has been there ever since he joined Arsenal.
Best for both parties if he moves on.
I honestly believe the difference between us fighting for 4th and fighting for the title comes down to a striker who scores goals.
This one is a little trickier and not as straight forward as the two previously mentioned by Jon Fox.
Letting Ozil leave was long overdue, In Aba it was a brilliant and bold idea.
But am thinking if we should sign a very expensive marquee forward, one that is fairly young, it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to have the old servant (Laca) stick around.
Was just thinking we may not have enough funds to sign more than one person in that striker position, being that we may even sign two commanding midfielders base on what I observed and how I think the gaffer may choose to go.
But I do understand your concerns Jon Fox and Duran,
In the end I do hope good sense prevail .