Kevin Campbell has paid tribute to Alexandre Lacazette following Arsenal’s win over Aston Villa on Friday night.
Arsenal kicked off their weekend in style by beating Dean Smith’s side 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium.
The French hitman was recalled to the first XI after his last-minute equaliser against Crystal Palace on Monday.
And Lacazette vindicated Mikel Arteta’s decision after winning the penalty which saw Arsenal secure a 2-0 lead on the stroke of half time.
Campbell told told Highbury Squad on YouTube: “He’s the unsung hero. You don’t appreciate him until he’s not in the team. We don’t score three goals many times and he comes in and we look a lot better.”
On the move
It’ll be interesting to see if Lacazette’s form results in a change of policy regarding his contract.
As things stand, the 30-year-old, who earns £182,000 per week, is set to leave Arsenal on a free next summer and therefore the club could cash in on him this winter, with Lacazette offered to a number of Italian sides.
It has been reported in recent weeks [ESPN] that the Emirates Stadium side won’t be offering him a new deal in North London.
The former Lyon marksman is certainly having an impact in the team right now.
But keeping him long term is a big decision and quite frankly, scoring against Palace and winning a penalty versus the Villans isn’t cause for a new deal.
There’s no doubt that Lacazette has his uses and if Arsenal keep him beyond January, he’ll certainly win some more points.
But at his age, and wage, it definitely makes sense for the North Londoners to focus on replacing him rather than tying him down again.
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