Alexander Lacazette’s Arsenal career is basically ruined before it has begun after it was revealed he’ll wear the number 9 shirt next season.
That’s what somebody who believes that the number is cursed would tell you, anyway. We don’t believe that here, because a cursed number is just silly.
However, the club’s record signing has got some work to do to restore the beauty of the classic centre-forward’s number after a string of failures over the last few years.
Lucas Perez, an imminent departure, was the last man to sport it, and despite some good performances he never convinced Arsene Wenger that he should be a regular. He is not on the tour of Australia with the rest of the squad.
Previously it has been worn by such luminaries as Park Chu Young and Francis Jeffers. Jose Antonio Reyes star shone brightly but briefly, while Eduardo looked the business until he had his leg broken by Martin Taylor.
Julio Baptista and Nicolas Anelka also had their troubles, so it’s a shirt laden with history and seen by some fans as a portent of doom.
Can Lacazette break the curse of the 9? No, he cannot, because there is no curse, just a terrible terrible history that he has to put right. No pressure.
Meanwhile, the Frenchman is set to make his debut down-under this week, with Arsene Wenger confirming he’ll be in action.
“Lacazette will make his debut here,” he said.
“On Thursday night he will certainly play a part in the game and in the other game as well. In the two games he will take part.”
A proper goal scorer in number 9. Nice. I hope he starts against the wanderers on saturday
He can wear number 4 and he will still score goals.
Well looks like Perez is definitely off.
Since we are going to sell him, I hope we don’t compromise on the transfer fee.
Nah. I’m of the opinion that we should – there’s no need to keep him here as he’s clearly surplus to requirements. What good does it do us, or him, to haggle over a million here or there? Let the guy go and play football. We bought him from his boyhood club and refused to play him, now it seems we’ve priced them out of buying him back. What was the point of that? This is not a transfer we need to make money on.
Priced them out? how about them just giving back the money Arsenal gave them for Perez? No one forced Perez to leave his boyhood club. He left for more money and glory. If WC is that important to him he should have stayed at his boyhood club and enjoyed being a starter.
There should be clubs in for Perez. Inter have money injected from new Chinese owners. Spaletti isn’t shy buying off of us before…remembering Gervinho…:D
smudger!
Jose Mourinho [on Lacazette]: “He wasn’t considered because he has no stamina, no physical impact and isn’t a big game player. United sign a 6ft3 fast, athletic+aggressive proven PL goal scorer with his best days ahead of him. We sign the cheaper 5ft7 lightweight, who’s older, doesn’t speak the language and doesn’t know the league. We’ve seen this script before. Why Arsene moved away from what made him so successful in his first 8 years I have no idea? Money is no longer an excuse. I know you’ll all have great fun abusing me, but Lukaku will bag 30+ goals… Read more »
Can you think of any reason that Mourhino might want to make snide comments about Arsenal’s transfer business?
Perhaps to take the focus off his own over-spending? Or just because he’s a snide bastard?
Either way, using Mourhino’s words to criticise Wenger – that’s something you’d expect from a Chelsea or a Man Utd fan… Isn’t it?
criticising the manager and agreeing with an opposing manager, even if that opposing manager is c**t doesn’t mean that I should be supporting Chelsea or United.
This is an opinion board.
I’d have personally much preferred that we’d stumped up for Lukaku.
Didn’t realise that Lukaku scored 30+ goals last season.
And who on earth actually listens to the Washed out Mourinho??? I was discussing this with my bro in-law. Over the past few years he hasnt unearthed new talent or even developed it! (Rashford was LVG and he has faded). He was the genius that sold Lukaku (and maybe De Brunne… however it’s spelt) and Mata while he was the player of the season and disrespected him. And his motivational speeches towards Shaw, last season was just spectacular and. It in a good way (his body, my mind). And don’t forget his inability to stay at a club for more… Read more »
Ps. No abuse was hurled your way Rich.
“and. It in a good way” was suppose to say “and not in a good way”
i don’t normally swear in here i maybe risking a ban here but someone need’s to say this to you rich, “u can fuck off with cuntinho”
What for having an honest opinion on a football comment board? I can’t stand Mourinho. But he did win Charity Shield+league cup+Europa league last season, in his first year. If we done that this season? I’d consider that a very decent season. It’s my opinion that I’d have preferred a striker who is: Younger Knows the league Is a proven PL goal scorer Has improved season on season Knows the language Is nowhere near his peak Is just as fast as Lacazette Much taller More physical More athletic Build to not only take hits but give as good as he… Read more »
Lukaku seems to be a bit of a dick so better suited to that lot up north with their twatbasket manager.
what does more athletic mean? has it been proven he is faster?
His agent pretty much precluded him from coming to Arsenal so lets leave it at that.
decent season? is decent better then average? whats a good season?
Well I’d like to win the league that’d be a good season.
But I won’t hold my breath, I think if we bother? we can certainly win either domestic cup or Europa league.
Decent season, not what I want but you can’t always get what you want
It’s called life
When I read those Mourinho quotes, I thought this was the most predictable football news of the week. His massive narcissistic need to make football joyless and soulless, win or lose, to turn it all into a celebration of his brilliance or a rant that his players have “betrayed” him–did Bill Shankly do this? Alex Ferguson? Arsene Wenger?
Lacazette is 5ft 9in, the same height as Ian Wright, who was not that bad really.
Yeah but Ian Wright was possibly the greatest finisher this country has ever seen.
Do you argue for the sake of arguing. Do you think about the point your trying to make?
Guess who thumbs down your comment ?
I’d like someone flourish with that number on their back, I’ve missed that. Since Eduardo
Eduardo was great, and bar a busted leg would have won the league for us that season.
Surely Podolski wasn’t all that bad donning the no. 9 shirt
The shirt is cursed. But it comes with a free frogurt! The frogurt is also cursed. But you get your choice of toppings! The toppings contain potassium benzoate.
That’s bad
That’s bad…
Don’t forget Suker and Podolski
Suker flopped. Last great no.9 was probably Alan Smith. Merson wore the shirt for one season too when Bergkamp was signed.
Wishing a great season for all gunners, I curse the curse on the shirt number. If there is any curse of course.
Cursing a Curse, is like pouring Dettol into a Yakult…
Lukas definitely off them. Sad
Alan Smith wore number 9 and won two league titles and two golden boots
Finally i can order my new shirt 🙂 !
Perez has switch to 28. Where does that leave Jo-el Campbell?
Also, Anekla did pretty well as no 9 – ousted our record goal scorer, scored goals, won the double, made us £23m in 1999 which paid for Thierry Henry and a new training ground. All this despite being a moody c*nt.
It has been an absurd number at least in my recent Gunner memory:
Anelka, Reyes, Baptista, Eduardo, poldoski, Perez etc
They all share similar history – when they are good, they don’t last
Welcome back, Andrew!
Hopefully he ends all this nonsense about the number 9.
Maybe this is Laccy number 9.
. .
Yep he’s doomed. That Jersey is cursed. Should’ve picked another number.
How about the no.13th? I like it. Opposition defender’s would go like no.. its no.13. Especially John cunt.
At last! Our main striker wearing the number 9! I’m sorry for Perez, he didn’t get a proper run. But Lacazette will be our 1st choice striker and the OCD in me likes it when players wear the correct number for their positions… remember when Gallas wore the 10 shirt ? Gosh that was awful.
I don’t know; remember we didn’t do too badly when our main striker wore 14? Number means nothing objectively, how you feel about it is pure sentiment.
Perez has been assigned the #28 shirt so maybe his departure is not as imminent as thought otherwise he would have just lost the number and be ‘man without number’ like Joel Campbell and The Jeff currently are..
The Jeff is #22. Following on from the greats, Clichy and Sanogo. A lot to live up to.
So many decent clubs should be looking at Lucas. For the life of me I have absolutely no idea why he is in this position. Can only assume he set up a cigarette kiosk just outside the shower cubicles. For a player coming straight from La Liga I was impressed by every performance. He was creative, selfless, hard working, he could finish, he assisted cleverly, and he was versatile, especially in the formation we are currently playing, he can feature in any of the 3 advanced positions. In the positions he would play next year I would trust him above… Read more »
isn’t that the problem. None of those 3 are going to be starting in the front 3 in the 343 formation. To say Perez is better then those 3 at this point doesn’t mean a thing when he wants to be a starter. He’s just not good enough.
We’ve seen nothing to suggest Perez is “not good enough”.
” just a terrible terrible history…”
A curse, one could say.
I do think Lucad had problems off the field as he looked not to interested even when he scores goals. Maybe he’s homesick?
Was Alan ‘Smudger’ Smith really our last great number 9? Surely not?
the curse will be on the opposition when he bangs in the goals i have him for the golden boot next season
If he can win as much as Alan Smith did for us it would be great.
Is Olivier giroud staying at arsenal next season
Perez, Campbell, Jenkinson, Debuchy, Gibbs and Szsc look likely to depart.
Ospina conspicuously present in tour.
Walcott is too expensive in salary to sell to any other than a top 6 club in England which we won’t and has no technical ability for the continent.
Jack may be too injury prone to move.
Elneny too mediocre to attract attention.
We need to clear.