Mikel Arteta has made it clear that he doesn’t want to lose Alexandre Lacazette and said he is someone who he liked before he joined Arsenal.
Lacazette hasn’t been a regular under Arteta, but the Arsenal boss did praise his desire and stated that he is a player who goes for ‘every ball’, as quoted by The Metro.
It’s obvious that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is ahead of Lacazette in the pecking order, but it also seems that Eddie Nketiah has also pushed ahead of the Frenchman.
Lacazette’s game time has increased since Nketiah’s sending off, and subsequent ban, against Leicester, as Arteta issued a passionate response about the future of the former Lyon player.
“I really like Alex, I said that before I even joined here,” said Arteta. “He’s the type of striker that I really like. I think he has periods where he was very unlucky because he was having the chances and not converting which he is not used to.
“But the way he can link play, he’s a massive competitor, he hates to lose, he goes for every ball. You see in every challenge how he’s ready to go, how hard he works and he’s a very intelligent player. I am really happy with him.
“Why would I want to lose a player like him?! I am really happy with him.”
Lacazette showed his worth when he came off the bench to score against Wolves. He then netted a sublime goal against Tottenham, but to no avail, and was on hand once again during the win against Liverpool.
There’s no doubt that he is a popular figure with the Arsenal supporters and if it was up to them, he would probably start on a more regular basis.
But with Aubameyang’s future still up in the air, the last thing Arsenal need is to lose such an experienced player in Lacazette, who can score vital goals for them, as he has proven recently.
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