Arsenal: Selling Alexandre Lacazette serves little purpose

Alan Smith has suggested that Arsenal may have to offload Alexandre Lacazette in the summer if he doesn’t improve. A sale, though, serves little purpose.

It’s been a funny old first season in English football for Alexandre Lacazette. Signed as the club-record transfer. Losing his record within six months. Losing his starting role. Now set to return to the squad on which many hopes are pinned with just a fraught Europa League campaign to play for. I’m sure he thought life at Arsenal would be better than it has been.

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While there have been times of better form where his goalscoring prowess has come to the fore, for the most part, this has been a frictional season where difficulties have reigned and a lack of cohesion has scuppered his progress.

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Particularly, his role within the team, how he complements those around him, how they are able to serve a striker of a fairly specific skill set, and then how he is able to deal with greater physical challenges of the English game have comprised to give the Frenchman quite a tough ride. And indeed, the questions of his quality and his production have begun to rise.

Former Gunners’ centre-forward Alan Smith was perhaps the most critical, suggesting that Lacazette may be offloaded in the summer if he doesn’t show improvements upon his return:

"“He may not be the player that Arsenal thought he was. He started off well but you can look like a world beater in France and just not make the grade in England. Arsenal have a few other players to show that. They may even have to offload him if he doesn’t come good.”"

Now, while I agree that Lacazette does need to be wary of his position in the squad — Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is a very similar player to him and is essentially a direct replacement and Arsene Wenger may want to recruit an alternative striker who brings a bit more versatility to the attack –, that does not mean that I believe that, if he does not show signs of a greater comfort within the team and the league between now and the end of the year, he should be sold. In fact, it would be non-sensical.

Firstly and most importantly, he would have to be replaced. Simply from a numbers point of view, Arsenal would need to find another striker if they were to let any of their current crop depart. Could you find a similar calibre player for the price that would be received if Lacazette was sold? I doubt it.

Secondly, this is a player who needs time. He has never played outside of Lyon, nevermind France, he has no experience of the rigours of Premier League football, and he has been thrust into a team lacking creative, accurate and frequent service, something that every lone goalscorer relies upon.

Finally, Aubameyang, while a replacement for the current period, is not exactly young. He will turn 29 this summer. Lacazette is two years his junior and could be used a short-term succession plan if the Gabonian left, which, although he was only signed in January, is not that far-fetched in a year or two if the likes of Real Madrid come calling.

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Smith speaks of offloading Lacazette as a last-resort type option. But I would go one step further. I would argue it is utterly ridiculous. It shouldn’t even be considered. It serves little to no purpose. Lacazette should stay. Hopefully, he will.