Arsenal starting XI with Alexandre Lacazette and Thomas Lemar additions

Arsenal are inching towards the signings of Alexandre Lacazette and Thomas Lemar. Here’s how they might line up with the two Frenchman drafted in.

After adding Sead Kolasinac early in the summer on a free transfer, it is fair to say that the news has dried up a tad on the recruitment front for the Gunners. While there have been several, swirling rumours that suggest deals are in the pipeline, there has been little concrete evidence to excite Arsenal fans.

However, high-profile transfers take time. They are complicated entities that can be difficult to complete. There are a lot of moving parts, with plenty of decisions that must be settled and decision makers that must be happy.

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As such, it is often possible to weed out the false from the factual simply by the trajectory of the reports, the weight of the rumours and the sheer amount of them. That is why I am fairly confident in saying that I expect Arsenal to sign Alexandre Lacazette and potentially Thomas Lemar in the coming weeks. So that leads me to ask the very simple question: Assuming they add the French duo, as well as Kolasinac from earlier in the window, how could Arsene Wenger’s team look like next season?

Much of the team will be the same from last season. Petr Cech will start in net, Shkodran Mustafi, Laurent Koscielny and probably Rob Holding will play as the three centre-halves, with Hector Bellerin or Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain stationed as the right wing-back. The first change that will be made comes on the opposite flank.

I expect Kolasinac to start instead of Nacho Monreal as the left wing-back, offering a greater athletic ability with his outstanding stamina and boundless energy. That is not too much of a surprise with Monreal’s advanced age, and the Spaniard will be relegated to a reserve role with his versatility coming in handy.

In central midfield, Aaron Ramsey and Granit Xhaka will continue as the starting pair, with Jack Wilshere, Francis Coquelin, and Santi Cazorla, when he is able to overcome his ailing knee injury, providing depth.

That leaves the front three positions. Lacazette slots in as the starting centre-forward, replacing Olivier Giroud and Danny Welbeck who had been used in a heavy dose of rotation towards the end of the season, while Lemar will, unfortunately, replace Alexis Sanchez as an inside-left forward, with the Chilean edging towards an inevitable exit. Finally, I expect Mesut Ozil to return and complete the attacking trio.

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That is far from an underwhelming side. While it would be disappointing to lose Sanchez over the summer, the additions of Lacazette and Lemar would begin to make up for the loss and offer a refreshing, exciting alternative.

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