According to Football London, Arsenal are unlikely to offer Alexandre Lacazette a new deal this summer.
The French striker has been linked with a move away from the club, and with just one year remaining on his deal, it makes sense for the Gunners to look to move him on.
However, what’s hard to make sense of is the fact that the club aren’t willing to give him a new deal.
Yes, Lacazette can be frustrating at times, and there’s a debate to be had as to whether or not he’s lived up to his £46.5m price tag, but he still offers a lot on the pitch. After all, he’s Arsenal’s top scorer in the Premier League this season.
The decision to not offer the Frenchman a new deal is made all the more baffling when you consider that Arsenal were happy to throw money at Willian last summer on huge terms.
Of course, hindsight is 20/20, but giving a 32-year-old a three-year deal on a reported £220,000 a week seemingly makes less sense than offering your top scorer a new contract.
If Edu and his team thought Willian was good value at that sort of price, why is Lacazette now seen as not worth keeping when he’s three years younger and seemingly a lot more valuable on the pitch?
Now, we’re not urging Arsenal to break the bank to keep hold of Lacazette, as we mentioned, he can be a frustrating player and there may be better options out there, but the fact that Arsenal are unlikely to even offer him a new deal on the same terms is ludicrous.
The Gunners should at least explore the possibility of keeping him at the club on the same terms he’s on at the moment, rather than completely writing off the idea of him staying.
When you compare his current situation to Willian’s 12 months ago, it’s really difficult to justify the Gunners’ differing stances on the two players.
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