Arsenal: Alexandre Lacazette the ‘warrior’ will have to prove it

Robert Pires has described Alexandre Lacazette as a warrior, claiming that he has a great spirit. There will come a time when the Arsenal striker will have to prove it.

When Arsenal made Alexandre Lacazette their record signing in the summer transfer window for a reported fee of £47 million, which could, and hopefully will, rise to £52 million if certain clauses are met, they bought a face-of-the-franchise type player. More than just his influence on the pitch, Lacazette is to represent his new club, very much like Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez have done before him.

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That meant that, while his quality was the vital aspect of evaluating his worth, there were judgements made on his character. Is this the type of man to represent Arsenal football club? Will he work diligently, will he be committed, will he be responsible? Or will he cause problems? Will he suffer from the profile that he will undoubtedly have to deal with?

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Well, Robert Pires is confident that Lacazette will have great success at Arsenal because of his ‘warrior’-like personality. When asked about his French compatriot, Pires stated that he believes Lacazette can reach a high level and help the club win trophies:

"“Lacazette is a like a warrior, he loves to fight, he loves to run, he has a very good spirit. He can learn quickly because he works every day with great players, so that’s why he’s very important and I’m sure Alex Lacazette can help Arsenal to win something at the end of the season. If you want to click you need a very good feeling <…> on the team they have a lot of French players like Giroud, Laurent Koscielny, Francis Coquelin, these guys can help Lacazette reach a high level.”"

And the spirit, the fight, the warrior-like desire to win is a character trait that Lacazette will have to show at times this season.

So far, his start to life in North London has run rather smoothly. He has scored five goals in nine league starts, seems to be growing more and more comfortable with those around him, especially since Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil joined forces to make up one of the most threatening front threes in the country, and has looked as sharp as advertised in and around the penalty area.

But there will come a time where things are not as easy. There will come a time where he must battle for his success, where the play is not as fluid, where movement is sluggish, where chances are few and far between. It is at these times where Pires’ assessment that Lacazette is a warrior will be tested.

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Whether Lacazette can grind out his goals when the going is not so easy will go a long way to determining the success that the Gunners find this season. They have ploughed many resources and reliance into their attack, led by Lacazette. It needs to be firing all year round.