Arsenal have confirmed that Alexandre Lacazette will leave the club at the end of his contract, amid reports he’ll rejoin former club Lyon.
Signed from the French side by Arsene Wenger for a then club-record fee of €53 million (rising to €60 million with add-ons), the France international made an instant impact, scoring after just 94 seconds of his Premier League debut against Leicester.
He ended his first season with a palatable 17 goals and bettered that in his second, when he scored 19 times, as he forged a close relationship with new signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Lacazette’s efforts under Unai Emery in 2018/19 saw the fans vote him the club’s Player of the Season and for a time, it looked like he might pen a new long-term deal.
For whatever reason, negotiations didn’t progress as expected and as his form in front of goal stuttered, the club’s desire to keep him wavered.
All the same, as an experienced operator and reliable personality, the striker’s standing in the dressing room continued to strengthen, particularly after Mikel Arteta took charge.
His accession to the captaincy in the aftermath of Aubameyang’s January exit underlined the respect he commanded from his teammates but it didn’t hide the fact his threat in the box was on the wane. Goal droughts too often became the norm.
While talk of a short-term contract extension continued into the new year, Eddie Nketiah’s run of games at the tail-end of the season killed off the appetite for that and gave hope to Lyon that they could pull off a transfer coup.
Before joining Arsenal, Lacazette spent 14 years on the books at Lyon scoring 129 goals in 275 appearances. You can understand the lure of a romantic reunion.
He leaves having provided us with some very good memories, including a couple of cracking goals against Sp*rs, that Europa League free-kick at Napoli and the last-gasp, sort-of winner against Wolves this season. His CV is also burnished with an FA Cup and Community Shield.
Mikel Arteta says, “Laca has been a fantastic player for us. He’s been a real leader on and off the pitch and has been a very important influence to our younger players.
“His commitment with us has been exceptional and we wish him and his family success and happiness.”
While Lacazette himself said, “The club is taking a new direction and we are at the end of my contract as well. Now it is time for me to have a new experience, new adventure.
“For me it was a pleasure to play at a club I dreamed of when I was young.”
Best of luck for the future, Alex.
Thanks for your contribution to The Arsenal, Laca, and all the best with your future endeavours.
Hope the patisseries of Lyon are well stocked.
Cracked me up
Thanks, shame you weren’t here in more successful times. Some good years though.
Good luck!
Oh the irony.
The reason we weren’t more successful when Lacazette was here and were more successful when he wasn’t here is because……no, you work it out….take your time mate…..
You’re right, Arsenal’s success is all down to one player, not the rest of the team or the management. And we were really successful in the seasons before he signed.
Three FA Cups in four seasons and consistently making top four. Yes, we were more successful before Lacazette joined. Then Wenger – having previously signed Xhaka and Mustafi the year before – then added Lacazette to really screw up the ‘spine’ of the team – and we haven’t been back in the top four since. At what point did I say a team’s success is dependent on one player? But here’s a thing. Without Auba’s goals during the past few years, we would almost certainly have been fighting relegation – and without his goals this year, we missed out on… Read more »
Well, I’m afraid I’m with Bloggs here, when I say that overall I found his time here disappointing, especially given the price tag. His total lack of pace and sharpness in front of goal last season (his bottling out of diving headers really boiled my piss) was a big reason why we didn’t get the goals to get us over the line for top four. I made myself somewhat unpopular by pointing this out at the time – but the proof was unfortunately in the pudding. Yes, we should thank him for his contribution hitherto, but if I said I… Read more »
Poor squad management to leave us so reliant on Lacazette in the first place.
You are preaching to the converted on that issue, my friend. Another thing I was downvoted for.
And I’m being downvoted here again – because people can’t handle a few home truths about a player who was, ultimately an expensive acquisition who wasn’t good enough.
Actually, I’m downvoting you because of your annoying tendency to claim you were always right in the past but no one listened. If only we were all as smart as you.
Well, if some of you guys want to continue to tell me that Willian was a great signing – as you did when we signed him, that we wouldn’t miss Auba – as you told me in January when he was sold and that Laca was the answer (ditto January) – then can I help it if I’m proved right…..?
Downvote all you want. I shall continue to call things as I see them.
😊
Tim Stillman does it in every column. “In an earlier column (link) I told you all this”
You are not being downvoted because people can’t handle some home truths about a player. The downvotes are for your know-it-all attitude.
The same know-it-all attitude I displayed when I called myself out after getting it wrong about the manager? The truth is that one or two of you – probably more – will always downvote me, no matter what I write. Because I AM knowledgeable about Arsenal and I DO know things. I’ve put in the hours, the games, the decades – and some of you on here can’t handle that. That’s YOUR problem, not mine. As I said elsewhere to another poster, I shall continue to exercise my right to call things as I see them – the same as… Read more »
OK we get it. Lacazette was crap. Now pull your head out your arse
Ignorance and abuse.
Way to go, mate.
Bore off sunshine
Longchops….?
First time I’ve ever seen you post anything.
And guess what? It’s BORING.
And you were spot on about Ozil too..we would have gotten top 4 this season with Ozil still around.
Pity he decided to leave football for golf ….
Very funny, smartarse. Did we get top four last season with Ozil’s replacement, Willian…? Did we get top four this season with Willian’s replacement Odegaard…? Easy to be wise after the event and mock. It actually takes brain cells to engage the mind and make a prediction and a special kind of bravery to post it up on here, given the amount of idiots picking holes in posts that they have neither the brain to envisage nor the courage to contribute.
And what have you ever brought to the table on this forum for discussion? Diddley squat. At least Q has had the humility to admit when he thinks he is wrong, unlike many of you on here.
I downvoted you because you always write about people downvoting you.
Correction.
I always go on about people downvoting me for things I was proved right on – and then showing their ignorance by downvoting me again.
You want him to write about you?
Well it’s better than having him write about you.
I just downvoted you for writing about downvoting somebody for writing about being downvoted.
I’m just sick of you guys writing about other guys writing about you writing about other guys.
There. That’s it.
#GiroudIn
??????
Giroulander
Arteta can’t say he doesn’t have his own squad anymore. Hope he doesn’t replace Laca with another Ceballos.
Ceballos did get to play in a Champions League final on the winning team – pretty cool.
Have you seen his comical miss though?
Yep it also means Ceballos has won more medals than Harry Kane.
Arsenal are the real Madrid of the FA Cup. 14 baby.
You can count up to 14?
How can I upvote you 10 times?
Yeah. And then fluffed his lines in front of goal. No change there, then.
Aurevoir dear Laca. You might not have been the solution to the lack of goals but you gave your blood and sweat whenever called upon.
Wish you the best as you return home. You will always have a home at the Emirates.
Yeah, the sweet stall in Drayton Park or the Arsenal Fish Bar in Blackstock road.
😂
Thank you for the service Laca. Always gave 100% on the pitch, win, lose or draw. Hope he gets his mojo back and more in Ligue 1.
I didn’t think, that he would give one last inteview in the Goodbye video. And I didn’t know I liked this guy so much. Made my eyes all teary. Disappointing overall but I think you can’t deny this guys passion for the club and his professionalism. He was part of probably the toughest time at Arsenal for over 20 years now, that did not help him. Always reminds me of my 92 OVR Laca in Fifa 15, was gassed to see him come, but I’m very much ok now to see him go. Wish him all the best. A good… Read more »
Good luck. He looks like a good person and a good professional too I don’t mind seeing back at the academy the young players seems to like him and respect him.
The stats weren’t great, but the effort was. Thanks Laca. Bo-Baca. Bananarama bo backa. Fe Fi Fo Facka. LACA!
I was with you for the first sentence or two but then things went decidedly South.
Do you need me to call a doctor?
Although it has been clear (to me at least – ymmv) for quite a while that it would be best for all concerned for Laca and the club to part ways, I find myself unexpectedly saddened by the news being made official. Best of luck Laca – I wish you all the best, and thank you for all you did for us.
Did Arsenal make any money out of his sale?
No his contract has expired, so he has left for free.
But he was reportedly on €200,000 a week, so those wages will of course be put towards his replacement.
They saved money by not offering him new 200k/week 3-yers contract.
The burger vans around the Emirates will be down on their profits though, once he’s departed.
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
I always remember his arrival, Man Utd signed Lukaku and Chelsea signed Morata so the three clubs all had a new #9.
I’d say Laca proved himself the best deal of the three, shame it’s ended so quietly.
Well according to wiki Lukaku was bought for 88 million wuro and sold for 80 after a year.
I would love to have 90% of what Laca costed after a year to re invest.
You’d have missed his best years with the club then, but as you please
During his initial few seasons his finishing capabilities and his overall play I thought was exquisite. Often making me wonder why wasn’t he scoring more often.
Last season, it became quite evident that his time in the Premier League and at Arsenal was coming to an end.
Found him to be a likeable bloke, if not for his interview last season at a crucial point in the season that left me at least with a sour taste.
Anyway it is I think it is good to only remember the good parts and move on rightly so.
Good luck Alex. ✌🏽
Sorry I know I could google it, but which interview left you with a sour taste?
I assume it’s the one that came out just before Southampton where he said he wanted to play Champions League so was assessing his options. Funny thing is Lyon didn’t make Europe for next season so that interview looks even stupider now if he does indeed rejoin his boyhood club
Sour taste? That interview just made me laugh.
He reckoned he wanted ECL football – whilst doing his level best to screw our chances up with his zero pace and one deflected goal in God knows how many games…..
A rubbish signing. He cost us a pile of money in transfer fees and wages but never really delivered. I can’t see there being a statue erected outside the stadium.
It makes you wonder if playing some of his minutes to Pepe in order to increase his value if it would have hurt.
In another life, we would have signed Jamie Vardy in 2016 – for just £20 million per his release clause – and likely not signed Laca for £46.5 million in 2017.
Not only would we have saved £26.5 million to spend elsewhere, but Vardy would have been much more successful and scored much more goals than Laca.
Laca did score some fantastic goals though – I’ll definitely look for a full compilation of his goals later – a really great guy and I wish him every success back at Lyon.
True – but then, we’d have had to look at Vardy’s pinched-ferret face every week! And sometimes of a Thursday….
And have to put up with Rebecca…
Arteta would have made him grow a beard – one of the non-negotiables.
He was Player of the Season in his second year, so I think your opinion is influenced by a recency bias.
For once, Fats, you are spot on.
Great proffesional for us, really served rhe club well. Unfortunately he had a lacofthreatte all too often
Who will the fans scapegoat now?
Shouldn’t that be ‘Who Will The Fans Blindly Absolve, In Spite Of It All The Crapness’……?
Tavares 6/4
Cedric 2/1
Sambi. 6/1
Pepe. 10/1
Xhaka. 25/1
I think he should also be commended for his attitude and leadership during and then after the long Aubamayang saga. Everyone knew they were close, but Lacazette accepted the captaincy and acted like a committed professional throughout.
And cost us top four with his inability to run, never mind score goals
Everyone hits a wall eventually. Laca was an exciting player for a few seasons, a competent strike force with Auba. It makes me wonder how they both hit that wall so fast together. I suspect they weren’t thought of by the Manager and played as dog house refugees. I wish Laca well in his new adventure.
He didn’t so much hit a wall as bulldozer it.
Definitely a good move for him to move on and for us too. Never really justified the price we paid for him (but then again not many have the last five years or more), but wasn’t a problematic player by any means.
Best of luck as you seek pastures anew. You were committed 100% to the Arsenal project. We’ll miss you.
No we won’t!
Here’s wishing you all the best in all your future endeavours, Lacazette. Go and excel.
He might as well, because he’s hardly going to go and Power Point….
We’ll never be able to say xhaka, saka, laca again…
Yes. Now we need to bring in Carlos Bacca. And get Kaka out of retirement.
Thanks for everything Laca and all the best in your life. Once a gunner always a gunner
His goals will be missed – as they have been.
Oh, but his commitment to running around (running? make that waddling) like a tit in a trance was worth every dropped point – if you can believe his fan club on here, that is….
My sentiments exactly Q. We lost top four because Arteta got rid of Auba in January and then replaced him with the Burger King.
His contribution has been mediocre over the run of his time at the club. But his dedication to his role was exceptional. I think we all know he wasn’t the guy we need at the front anymore though.
Hopefully he can finish his career successfully at Lyon.
We all know, but Arteta didn’t.
I really enjoyed Laca’s time. I’ll always remember that banger at Anfield as one of his highlights. We now need a striker that works with the overall squad and not a square peg in a round hole.
Contributed in so many ways in addition to 71 goals in all competitions. Outstanding competitor and professional. Never quite the star we hoped he would be, but since (the very injury-prone) RVP the only top-class striker we’ve had is Auba (pre-extension), and there clearly aren’t many on that level globally. I sincerely hopes he does well at Lyon or wherever he goes. Never phoned it in and provided a lot of leadership when we sorely needed it. Bon chance, Laca!
I cry for my user name 😭😭😭