Arsenal: Lacazette Is A Consolation For Griezmann

Arsenal are heavily tied to Alexandre Lacazette, and the one thing we need to realize is that he is the next best thing to everyone’s sweetheart, Antoine Griezmann.

Sometimes, all a player needs to get that bump up between tiers is a move to a bigger team with bigger players around him. Look at Griezmann in his journey between Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid. That move put him on an international level and he continues to rise up the ranks. Conveniently, for most people, Arsenal is a step up.

Plus, when it comes to the French National team, the guy with the big competition experience is always going to take precedence over a guy with a similar skill set, just on a smaller outfit.

Such is the case with Lacazette. The Frenchman has been at Lyon for a while now and he isn’t getting any better. Mainly because the team isn’t getting any better. Lyon have been doing the same thing since Jean-Michel Aulas took over in 1987 and there’s no reason why they would change now. They are maintaining relevance while turning a good profit for their young products.

Unless you are one of those rare elite players that can elevate the play of your team mates (and there aren’t many of those), then you need a supporting cast around you to support your growth and maturation.

Just look at Zlatan at the Euros.

Lacazette is going to be the same way. Give him a supporting cast and he will raise his level of play and grow into an even better striker than he is now.

I think everyone has agreed that Griezmann would be the ideal striker for Arsenal. There is no denying that. Him and Giroud already have a fantastic partnership at the French side and the 25 year old has proven that he can compete at the highest level. That can be replicated at Arsenal.

But we have to accept that landing Griezmann is not a very likely possibility (although, I would recommend you bringing him to Arsenal on FIFA). Everyone wants him. But he has no reason to leave a club that is now consistently making Champions League finals and maintaining such a high level of play.

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The next best thing is Lacazette. He plays the same way Griezmann does, he has the same work rate and the only reason that he is not more unanimously preferred (among Morata and the rest of the strikers out there) is because he hasn’t been given a shot outside of Lyon. Everything we saw from him at the French National team was positive too. He looked like Griezmann.

Both Frenchman are similar. One just had had better opportunities. It doesn’t help Lacazette that Lyon are stingy and won’t sell him for anything below market value. They are going to maximize the return of this guy or they will keep him.

Next: Lacazette Or Morata? It's Not Even Close

Lacazette may only be seen as a consolation prize compared to Griezmann, but is that really such a bad thing for Arsenal? Not at all.

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