According to ESPN, Arsenal are yet to offer Alexandre Lacazette a new deal at Emirates. The forward’s current contract in North London expires at the end of the season and even though Mikel Arteta has assured that the Frenchman is included in his plans, the club is yet to offer him any new contract. It leaves Lacazette’s future hanging in the balance and a potential exit could be on the cards.
Alexandre Lacazette’s Struggles At Arsenal
After an exciting start, Alexandre Lacazette’s career at Arsenal has somewhat gotten lost in transition, especially after the arrival of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The Gabonese international’s unprecedented success at Emirates saw the Frenchman become the club’s second fiddle striker for the most part of the past three years.
Under Mikel Arteta, Lacazette has somewhat delivered as far as goalscoring is concerned, with the forward notably netting 13 goals in the Premier League last season. His work ethic has been quite excellent, but the Frenchman simply hasn’t been able to provide enough quality to help Arsenal become a force to be reckoned with.
In a total of 172 competitive outings, Lacazette has found the back of the 66 times, which pales in comparison with Aubameyang’s extraordinary 89 goals in fewer matches. During his time at Emirates, the former Lyon striker has often been criticised for his lack of consistency and goalscoring prowess, leading to his lack of recognition, as far as the Arsenal attack is concerned.
Should Arsenal Move On From Lacazette?
After a disappointing 2020/21 campaign, Arsenal’s weaknesses have remained intact in the new season, with productivity once again proving to be a problem. Aubameyang has failed to deliver while the other options like Gabriel Martinelli or Folarin Balogun haven’t been able to make much of a difference either.
Arteta, meanwhile, appears to have frozen Lacazette from first-team football. In five Premier League matches, the 30-year-old has featured only once. While he did miss the first couple of matches through illness, the striker has appeared in only 31 minutes of league action since.
Arteta’s decision to give Martinelli and Balogun more game-time over Lacazette does make sense as Arsenal need to quickly undergo a transition and rely on newer players. Extending the Frenchman’s contract, therefore, might not be a prudent move given all his struggles at Emirates over the past few years.
It is indeed apparent that Lacazette won’t be able to add much quality to the table for Arsenal and at the age of 30, it could be a wiser option for Gunners to offload him in January before his contract expires at the end of the season.
