Claude Puel recognises how much of a threat Alex Lacazette will be to his Leicester side on Monday night having given the striker his senior debut when the two were at Lyon.
The 27-year-old has been in impressive form this season, netting five goals in 10 appearances, and looks likely to lead the line again as Unai Emery’s players go in search of a tenth successive win.
Speaking ahead of the Foxes trip to the Emirates, Puel explained why he’s always rated Lacazette and how he had to blood him on the wing when he first came through the ranks of his boyhood club in 2010.
“He is a complete player with good transition with the ball and without the ball,” explained Puel. “He is always available for the team.
“He works all the time and he has kept his clinical edge and I am not surprised about his quality and his good work with Arsenal.
“He started with me. His first game at the beginning he was always a striker but to find a place and get game time in the team he started as a winger.
“He had always the same quality and was clinical in the box. He improves on his transition without the ball because at the beginning of his career his only focus was to score and not to work for the team.
“We developed him like a striker because he had all the ability to play in this position, but to start in the first division in France it was important to play him for his development and we had a lot of strikers, experienced players with quality, so to give him game time we played him as a winger.”
During the Interlull, Lacazette was nominated for the Premier League’s goal and player of the month gongs in September. He lost out to Daniel Sturridge and Eden Hazard respectively, but that doesn’t detract from how important he’s been for the Gunners so far this season.
Keep it up Alex.
Thanks for the good job. He’ll repay you with a hat-trick on Monday night!
Only Change I would make over vs Fulham would be Aub > Welbeck.
Laca great forward. With Auba, another great forward, it gives us lots of options to combine or use them separately.
Well done Puel, I hope you feel proud once Laca has scored a few goals against Leicester and you can take credit.
He originally looked lightweight and far too easily discouraged and knocked around by defenders, but his reaction to us signing Aubameyang and missing out at the World Cup has been impressive.
He now looks powerful, his all round game is really very good and his finishing is as lethal as you’ll see, the £50mill we paid is looking very good value.
I love that Lacazette has had such a great start to the season. I thought he had an alright first season either, but maybe that’s because I’ve grown to love him so fast. The header against Leicester in his first league game after about three minutes – looking back, that was when I fell in love with him. Probably my favouritr player now. I was afraid with the coup of Auba he’d become a bench option, taking into account this phase where he really missed a lot of chances and didn’t look confident. After not being called up to the… Read more »
Lacazette is so clinical, it’s unreal! Long time it’s been that striker get a chance or the ball in the box and you just know they’ll most likely put it in back of the net. More relaxed watching Arsenal (defensive frailties aside).
How great would a Monday night win be after the rest of big teams drop points at the weekend!? Come ooooonnnn Arsenal!!
The big story here is that in Lacazette’s debut match for Lyon, FA Cup Semi-Final hero and Arsenal legend Kim Källström also played for Lyon in that match.
Legend indeed
So they are going to “have a go at him” and why not – english referees protecting the french … from Harry Maguire? Remember Eduardo? Ramsey? Diaby?
Ramsey is French? ?
He’s class and grit. Love him.
COYG!
I hope Laca gets a call up for France soon. He’s been excellent. Last season there was a reason Giroud started instead of him for France. BUT this season, Laca seems to have taken a page from Giroud and improved his distribution overall. He acts as a node like OG and sets his teammates up which is why he is preferred up front for us over Auba. He has worked out how to combine some added physicality with nimbleness but its also his overall work rate without the ball that makes him so much more dangerous this season. Definitely an… Read more »