Arsenal: Alexandre Lacazette transparency can be damning

Arsenal are officially in talks to land Alexandre Lacazette, but this clear transparency of the situation could be damning to Arsene Wenger.

Reports are going wild over Arsenal’s pursuit of Alexandre Lacazette. With Jean-Michel Aulas opening up and letting everyone see into the transfer process, the act has been revealed. Everyone now knows that Arsene Wenger and Aulas are in talks to make the long-awaited move of Lacazette to North London official.

However, while the transparency is nice and refreshing, it does have a major drawback that arises. Mainly if the deal doesn’t get done… again.

Last year, it was was the the Gunners made a paltry £29m bid for Lacazette before being rejected and never returning to it. Naturally, there wasn’t much talk about it after that fell through.

This time around, there will be nowhere to hide if things go south. There will be pure unbridled outrage that talks could get this far and the deal couldn’t get done.

Aulas has made it incredibly clear. If the Gunners do not pay up, then Lyon can just wait until January and sell Lacazette to Atletico Madrid for the price they had previously agreed upon. That means the Gunners with have to pay about £50m in initial fees, with about £12m in add-ons. Otherwise there is no deal.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

That seems simple enough, but then you factor in Olivier Giroud, it gets even more dangerous. Aulas has indicated that Lyon are pursuing a move for Giroud as Lacazette’s replacement. Meaning that the deal could potentially hinge on Giroud leaving (and idea I absolutely despise, but that’s not what I’m here to discuss).

Should the deal fall through with this knowledge, the backlash will fall on both Wenger and, unfortunately, Giroud, because it will look like it was his unwillingness to move that caused Lacazette’s deal to be declined. Aulas did, after all, say that he could not part with Lacazette without landing an adequate replacement.

We should be thankful that there is so much openness about this potential move. Really, we should. It stops all the silly reports from going back and forth. But the drawbacks are prevalent too, and they are pretty hefty.

Next: Arsenal's Potential 2017/18 Starting XI Without Ozil, Alexis

It would be a familiar situation, with the majority of Arsenal nation outraged against the French duo of Wenger and Giroud. Let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that and the ideal situation can be reached – an attack boasting both Lacazette and Giroud.

Home/Arsenal Transfer Rumours