Arsenal: Alexandre Lacazette brings pace and space

Alexandre Lacazette has completed his medical ahead of a £52 million move. The Lyon striker is a wonderfully exciting signing and will bring pace and space to the Arsenal attack.

Ever since he abandoned his characteristic 4-4-2 formation, with Dennis Bergkamp playing off of Thierry Henry, Arsene Wenger has prioritised a lone striker who has the size, strength and touch to play with his back to goal, provide a focal point for the Arsenal attack and link up the tight, sometimes aimless interplay of the midfield.

Related Story: Arsenal: 3 players to top off Lacazette evolution

The many players that he has implemented in the position, Emmanuel Adebayor, Marouane Chamakh, Robin van Persie, Olivier Giroud, all have the traits to fulfil the role of a target man, even if they do so a little differently — van Persie, for example, is not as powerful as the others, but overcomes this disadvantage with his exquisite touch, and is subsequently able to hold up play.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 observations from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park

However, while such players bring an element of size and attention that can be difficult for opposing defences to deal with, they do restrict the potency of the Arsenal attack. They struggle to drift into wide areas, often losing possession against the savvier defenders, they fail to offer a threat in behind, rarely wanting to spin into the channels, and can be a little stationary and rigid, meaning that there is little movement to create angles and opportunities in the final third.

Wenger has clearly had enough. It was last summer when his desire to replace Giroud with a pacier, more dynamic centre-forward was made clear. A £20 million bid for Jamie Vardy, a rejected offer for Alexandre Lacazette, and the eventual signing of Lucas Perez, all pointed towards Wenger wanting a player with a greater mobility than that of the lumbering Frenchman who currently pervaded the Arsenal strikeforce.

Fast forward a year, and Wenger has finally settled on the man he wants to lead Arsenal into a new age of fluid, pacy attacking play.

That man is Lacazette and he has all the tools that are perfect to play the position just as Wenger is craving. The Lyon striker is extremely quick. He truly has pace to burn. But what is more important and potent is the use of his athletic gifts.

His movement is extremely intelligent; he bends his runs to ensure that he stays onside, he usually times them to perfection, always looking to dart off the last shoulder just as a midfielder is ready to play the sliding through ball, and he is a willing runner of lost causes, always looking to press high up the pitch, hounding and harassing his opponents in a high-intensity, high-energy style that is a nightmare to play against.

Next: Arsene Wenger's Best Starting XI

The introduction of Lacazette offers two immediate qualities to the Arsenal attack: pace and space. He brings the pace and that results in the space. This could be a wonderfully fluid and ruthless attacking team next season.