Arsenal: Alexandre Lacazette the Gunners’ best player?

Alexandre Lacazette was again instrumental in Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Cardiff City on Tuesday night. Is he the Gunners’ best player at present?

I must admit, I was hesitant when Arsenal made Alexandre Lacazette their record signing two summers ago. Although his goalscoring record was undeniable and I was campaigning for a new, more mobile centre-forward to replace Olivier Giroud, I was unsure about Lacazette.

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That is not to say that I expected him to fail. I didn’t perceive him to be a bad player. I didn’t really perceive him to be anything at all. I just didn’t know what to think. Professionally speaking, I was reserving my judgement.

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The first season in north London was inconsistent. He started excellently, glancing a header within the first two minutes of a 4-3 win over Leicester City. But a knee injury midway through the year sapped him of his sharpness, a key trait of his around which his game is designed, and confidence. By Christmas, many were questioning what had happened to him — news of his knee injury had not yet been made public.

When he returned in March, he immediately looked that step quicker. His pace was back, his movement in and around the penalty area scintillating, and he struck up a tremendous relationship with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the man who some had questioned was brought in to replace Lacazette just six months after the stocky striker initially arrived. The pair has worked in tandem ever since, combining for 39 goals since Aubameyang’s signing in January.

And this season, although it has been Aubameyang who has grabbed the headlines with his prolific goalscoring, Lacazette has been the one to truly impress me, culminating in a tremendous strike in Tuesday night’s 2-1 win over Cardiff City, when he powered into space, drove into the penalty area and thundered a shot through Neil Etheridge and into the far corner.

In fact, I would go as far to say that Lacazette might well be Arsenal’s best player. That is the extent that he has impressed me this season. I admit, Aubameyang is the better goalscorer and many would prefer him in a striking role. But the all-around play of Lacazette is phenomenal.

It has been most evident in recent wins over Chelsea and Cardiff. Lacazette is deceptively strong, possesses great balance through contact, is able to seemingly glue the ball to his feet as he wriggles away from would-be challengers, and then has the vision and quality to play forwards, even in tight areas in the final third. He really is a brilliant, complete centre-forward.

Some may say Mesut Ozil. Others may argue for Aubameyang. Lucas Torreira or Hector Bellerin may even get a mention. But, for me, Alexandre Lacazette is the best player in the Arsenal squad. I am still not quite sure he gets the recognition he deserves for it.