Was Lacazette Arsenal’s first-choice striker option last summer?

Craig Burley has claimed that Arsenal failed to land their key summer transfer targets, before lowering their aspirations to sign Alexandre Lacazette instead.

The Gunners splurged a club record £52 Million to bring in the French striker from Lyon last summer, but he has since lost his first-team role thanks to the arrival of new club record signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

The Gabon international was brought in last month with his new team-mate having come into some dire form, and the £52 Million man now has to adjust to playing as a reserve, which is a crazy thought.

Former profession Craig Burley has now claimed that the 26 year-old was only signed after they failed with their main targets.

“He’s been in the spotlight Lacazette, he comes in in the summer as a big signing,” Burley said.

“I don’t want to be harsh on him, I don’t want to be harsh on any player, but I kind of think Wenger brought him in because he didn’t get the top-level striker that he wanted.

“So he went down to the next level and brought in a very good player from France.

“He’s left him out of some key games, which was strange, or maybe told a story.

“Then obviously the chase for Aubameyang and securing Aubameyang was going to shove Lacazette onto the sidelines.

“We saw him come off the bench in the north London derby, missed a couple of chances, it happens, confidence is low and off the back of that now he is injured.”

Is Lacazette in a tier below the top-level available strikers? Does he now have to get used to being the back-up striker or can he fight his way back into the team?

Pat J