Arsenal Transfer Rumors: Alexandre Lacazette’s Right Moment Has Passed

Arsenal has long been tied to French striker Alexandre Lacazette, who is apparently just waiting for the right moment. Well, that moment has passed.

There was a time when Alexandre Lacazette looked to be as sure to come to Arsenal as Granit Xhaka. The French striker wanted to get away, he was young and French, and the Gunners needed a striker dearly. Everything lined up, except for a price tag.

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After a reported failed bid that led to an ever-increasing price tag on the French striker, he has remained at Lyon. However, according to former team mate Samuel Umtiti, that is only for a matter of time.

“I have a lot of respect for Lyon, they’re one of the biggest French clubs, but there will come a time when [Lacazette] could leave to improve,” he said, as quoted by the Metro.

“He’ll have that desire, I know his character. He’s waiting for the right moment.”

That’s cute and all, Lacazette clearly has fantastic talent and a high opinion of himself, but his window to come to Arsenal passed a while ago. The Gunners won’t need another striker for years at this point. They stocked up with versatile players for the past few years and now, with all of those projects coming out looking swell, another striker, especially an expensive one, doesn’t make sense.

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Unless of course, it’s a guaranteed upgrade like Antoine Griezmann. Or if Alexis leaves, but that is looking less and less likely as well.

With Olivier Giroud better than ever, Alexis a stalwart as always, and Danny Welbeck and Lucas Perez also fighting for time, Lacazette would have no guarantee of time. And he would absolutely need that guarantee before he makes any sort of move.

That mass of strikers can absolutely hold over the Gunners until Donyell Malen becomes a world beater and by that time, Lacazette would already be nearing 30 and he would be at some other high-profile club.

So barring something extraordinary, I don’t see any sort of future that Lacazette and Arsenal share, barring any sort of match ups in European competitions, or if he does the usual thing and takes the money and runs to one of the two heavy-spending Mancunian clubs.

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That is, unless Wenger makes the shift to a 4-4-2, Giroud preemptively retires, Alexis leaves, and Antoine Griezmann continues to reject Wenger’s advances. So yeah, not very likely at all.