Arsenal: Mesut Ozil can teach us a lot about Alexandre Lacazette

Arsenal supporters are already getting wary of Alexandre Lacazette, but if they think back to Mesut Ozil, they should find a helping of clarity.

I just wrote about this yesterday, but I feel the need to get right back at it. Arsenal’s solution to their half-decade striker conundrum is going to be solved by Alexandre Lacazette. It may not be a finished product tomorrow, but in time, it will be.

And that’s the kicker here – time. It’s a royal b*tch, that time. But if you think back to when Cesc Fabregas left, you may start to find some clarity about Lacazette’s situation.

When Fabregas left, the Gunners made no immediate reactionary signing to fill the creative void at No. 10. Players filtered in and out, Santi Cazorla had his go, but the level of creative genius needed to replace someone like Fabregas was never matched.

Not until Wenger broke the club record to sign Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid. Seeing as how he was coming from Real Madrid of all places, supporters expected that this would be the signing that we had been waiting for. Finally an answer to the Fabregas void.

But damn, was it ugly at the start. Ozil looked like he was made of twigs, getting pushed all over the place and supporters were outraged. How could this guy be the solution when he couldn’t even keep hold of the ball?

The pressure was magnified by the fact that we had gone so long without someone like him in that No. 10 role.

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It took a year and a half and one huge injury to get the best out of Ozil, but when we did, he became the assist master of Europe with 19 assists. The following year, last year, was a down year and he still managed 12 goals and 12 assists.

Lacazette is stepping into a similar void that has been open for even longer. The pressure is massive. And I only bring this up because yesterday I saw a Tweet of someone prematurely judging Lacazette and dubbing him inadequate.

Their logic?

Because they were expecting someone like Mesut Ozil, seeing as how he is also a record signing.

How short our memories can be. Ozil, as I mentioned, took forever to acclimate to the physicality of the Premier League. Literally 18 whole months we watched him get pushed around.

If Lacazette takes six months, like Robert Pires suggests, there will be an outcry. But is it so hard to remember that this kind of stuff happens? Even golden boy Alexis Sanchez, after bursting onto the scene in his first six months, faded like Riyad Mahrez.

It took him another eight to ten months to get back to the level of his first six months in England.

Next: 3 Reasons Alexandre Lacazette Doesn't Have To Play Striker

Lacazette will do the same thing and unfortunately, that will not sit well with the fans who expect him to be ready-made.

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