Arsenal Must Turn To Alexandre Lacazette

With Jamie Vardy crumbling and Aubameyang headed to Manchester City, Arsenal have to act fast to recoup the losses. They have to turn to Alexandre Lacazette.

Jamie Vardy has taken Arsenal’s supposed offer, put it in his back pocket, and hopped on a plane to France, with everyone accepting that he will decide after the Euros. That’s fine for him, but it is most certainly not fine for Arsenal. While the Gunner’s were doing that, Aubameyang has reportedly inched closer to Manchester City, leaving Arsenal in a predicament.

There is a chance that Vardy has decided on Arsenal and they just don’t want to announce it until after the Euros, to give Leicester time to sign a replacement. But I don’t buy that.

It’s more likely that the other rumors, saying that Vardy is trying to use Arsenal and the Euros to broker a better deal, are true. Whatever the case, completely investing in Vardy, a 29 year old with one good year under his belt, is a bold, and more importantly, ill-advised move. There have to be alternatives, and there should have been from the start.

Arsenal cannot not sign a striker. And if they see Aubameyang as too expensive and if Vardy finds loyalty more important in the end (more power to him) then the answer is Alexandre Lacazette. Arsenal were tied to the Frenchman last summer, but after a breakout year, his price had inflated.

Lacazette has had his troubles at Lyon and has made it clear that there are moments of discomfort, as he and the brain trust at the club don’t always see eye to eye. Lyon also have a habit of selling high. Lacazette’s value is still high enough to profit Lyon but still reasonable enough for Arsenal to swoop.

Links tying Lacazette to Tottenham have been shot down by pundits because he would be a clear second choice and with Kane younger than him, there is little room for hope.

That is all different at Arsenal. With Giroud as the only striker, Lacazette may not waltz into the starting role, but he would be dueling one on one with his countryman and he would find plenty of time. If Walcott could find time up front, Lacazette can find more. Plus, at 25 years of age, there is a lot to grow into, as Giroud is nearing 30.

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The reason why I’m turning to Lacazette is because he offers what Vardy and Aubameyang offer, and therefore what Walcott was supposed to offer. He has premium pace to get in behind defenses and his finishing ability is to die for. But just like the other two, he can create for himself as well.

Lacazette got off to a slow start last year, but turned it around in the second half, finishing with 21 goals in 34 starts. Those aren’t numbers to break the bank over, but they are solid enough to leave plenty of optimism that his skill set would click in North London, where he will have world class passers like Mesut Ozil finding him.

The crazy thing about Lacazette is that he is valued right at around what Vardy was going to cost, £20m-£23m. That is a small price to pay to fix such a blatant problem.

Next: Crisis Mode, Aubameyang Style

The Frenchman is just 25. He has superb finishing and pace (see the video above) and he is going for less than half the price of Aubameyang. If price truly is the obstacle that Arsenal can’t overcome with the Gabonese forward, than Lacazette is an easy alternative.

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