Arsenal: Alexandre Lacazette bringing a friend the perfect compliment

Alexandre Lacazette is reportedly trying to convince Thomas Lemar to join him at Arsenal, Hm bringing the Monaco winger to North London would be the perfect compliment.

Arsenal have made their first major signing of the summer. After weeks of rumour and conjecture, Arsene Wenger was able to complete a £46 million — the fee could reach £52 million given the satisfaction of certain incentives — move for Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette, who will seemingly replace Olivier Giroud as the Gunners’ starting striker.

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It is a significant addition, one that ensures that Arsenal boast a world-leading striker for the first time since the controversial departure of Robin van Persie in the summer of 2012. However, the need for an attacking evolution is great and signing just one player is not enough, especially if either or both of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil leave the club.

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Thankfully, Wenger is aware of this. He has been heavily linked with a move for Riyad Mahrez to provide another direct, pacy wide option, and has a £30 million bid rejected for Thomas Lemar, reportedly tabling another offer of £40 million in response (as of writing, no news has come as to whether Monaco have accepted this offer). It has also been reported that Lacazette is trying to convince Lemar, his fellow Frenchman, to join him in North London.

Lacazette bringing a friend to the Emirates would certainly be advantageous. And what a friend Lemar would be to bring. Not only is he the calibre of player that Arsenal should be pursuing this summer, but he would also compliment the style of play that Wenger employs and the current plethora of attacking options in the squad.

While Lemar is most natural as a left-winger, he plays the position very differently to most modern day wide man. Of the top calibre wide attackers, the majority rely on their searing pace and direct dribbling to commit defenders to challenges, skip by the opposition, demand attention and, resultantly, create space for others.

Lemar is no slouch. But he is not the burner that a Mahrez or Theo Walcott or Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is. He is a craftier winger; it is his guile, nous and vision that create opportunities, rather than sheer athletic gifts. His spatial awareness is excellent, as he drifts off of his wing to join in with the neat interplay in the final third.

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Partnering Lemar with the pretty passing of Arsenal and the sharp, relentless movement of Lacazette is a potent possibility. He is the perfect compliment for Lacazette’s willingness to run off of the ball and would slide into the starting XI seamlessly.