Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is set to finally spend big on a striker for the Gunners
Arsenal fans who’ve spent years clamoring for Arsene Wenger to splash big money on a high-profile striker target are set to finally get their wish. It seems that Wenger is going to stump up Alexandre Lacazette’s release clause to bring him to the Emirates.
The Telegraph are reporting that Arsenal plan to lodge a bid for Lacazette’s 34 million pound release clause in the coming days. The French forward has turned down West Ham on several occasions this summer, but would likely jump at the chance to join Wenger in North London.
If this deal is completed, it will end what many Arsenal fans have considered to be one of Wenger’s greatest feelings in charge of the Gunners. Time and time again, Wenger has chosen not to spend big on a centre-forward to lead the Arsenal line. Time and time again, their weakness up front has cost them a chance at Premier League glory.
Purchasing Lacazette may not lead to mass forgiveness for his previous frugality, but it should help close up some old wounds. Spending big for Lacazette certainly sends a message of ambition to everyone associated with the club, but it also represents a significant gamble for Wenger.
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Spending this sum of money on a 25-year-old striker who’s never played anywhere but Lyon does set off a few warning bells. He also failed to make the French national team this season despite his prolific goal scoring in Ligue 1. It’s fair to wonder what the French setup didn’t see in Lacazette that Wenger evidently does.
On the surface, acquiring a striker who scored 21 goals in 34 league matches in Ligue 1 seems like solid business. Indeed, he’s clearly shown an ability to score goals by the truckload for Lyon, and you’d have to assume he’ll have some success scoring for Arsenal as well. After all, he’ll get the chance to play alongside world-class talents like Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil on a regular basis. They managed to provide enough service to allow Olivier Giroud to garner a healthy goal return.
Curiously, Giroud is one of the French strikers who was chosen ahead of Lacazette for Euro 2016. Presumably, the higher-ups with France wanted to go with a more proven international commodity as opposed to the relatively unproven Lyon star. Still, you have to wonder why Arsenal need to spend over 30 million pounds on a player that can’t beat out Giroud for his country. Given that, can we really expect him to dislodge the veteran from his place atop the Arsenal attack?
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Wenger deserves some credit for showing enough ambition to purchase Lacazette, but this purchase screams of desperation. If Wenger had the good sense to spend big on a world-class striker in years past, he wouldn’t be forced to overpay for Lacazette now.