Mikel Arteta has praised Alexandre Lacazette following his stunning form over the recent Premier League games and has said the club will hold contract talks in the summer.
The French forward has scored five goals in his last seven league games for the Gunners, however, will have just one year left on his contract at the end of this season.
Speaking ahead of yesterday’s clash with Wolves, the Spaniard claimed the little increase in his confidence has made him a different player altogether.
Arteta said: “The moment he transformed a little bit his confidence, he became a different player. I think it is linked to confidence, and that is linked to playing more regular minutes and scoring more goals. He finds himself in better form. And then it is about supporting our players.”
“We will talk certainly about his contract situation. At the moment what I want is that he keeps performing the way he is at the moment until the end of the season and then it will be the right time to talk about it.”
Is Lacazette good enough to play for Arsenal?
Yes
No
Despite the former Lyon man’s upturn in form, you’d be hard-pressed to find a fan of this club who isn’t keen on signing a new forward in the summer. The fact of the matter is Lacazette proves to be an incredibly inconsistent striker something Arteta himself has eluded to in his comments above.
The former Manchester City’s words on his confidence don’t exactly fill you with the hope that Lacazette can maintain consistent enough form to help lead Arsenal towards their goals. Compare the 29-year-old to the likes of Sergio Aguero, who has been a key component in the Citizen’s four titles since 2012. 256 goals in 279 games is a staggering set of statistics which highlight just how important he’s been for the north-west giants.
However, what may save the France international’s Arsenal career is the lack of a replacement in the market. Odsonne Edouard has been suggested as a replacement, however, he himself has proven up and down in Scotland.
Does Lacazette need replacing? Yes, he does, but, the lack of options in the market mean it’s better to retain his services and give him a short-contract extension as opposed to letting him leave.
In other news, Arsenal changed their mind about letting this player leave.
