Afternoon all.
The news we all expected has arrived. Our French number 9 is leaving the building. Actually, he’s probably already left. I was chuffed when Arsenal finally signed Alex Lacazette back in 2017. His time at the club hasn’t always been brilliant but seeing as he’s now gone, I’m going to just remember the good bits. There’s been times when his football, along with his attitude, has been crucial for Arsenal, certainly under Mikel Arteta and certainly for the younger players.
It’ll be strange not seeing him on a match day in or around the team. But that’s football isn’t it, they come, they play and then they leave. Speaking to Arsenal Media at the end of the season, Alex Lacazette said it was time for him to have “a new experience and a new adventure.”
I want to keep all the good moments I had in the club, because for me it was just a pleasure to play for a club that, since I was young, I dreamt of. I’m really happy to have played for five years for Arsenal.
He finishes his time here as the 32nd all-time top scorer, and says he is especially proud of winning the club’s Player of the Year award in 2019.
There’s a board at the stadium with all the winners’ names on, and in my first season I told my dad that one day I would be on it. So I’m really proud I made it. I really felt at home at the training ground and the stadium – I used to call it my garden! When I came to Arsenal, I was a bit like a kid with big names, big players, a lot of pressure, and I was not talking so much. Year after year I started to talk more, my English got better, my relationships with people at the club got stronger and with the players as well. So I’m happy for who I am now and where I came from.
Four goals against the Totts, one of which was in the first NLD at the noisy neighbours, will stay in the record books. His final words were to the fans:
I want to say thank you, a big thank you because there was a lot of expectation from me when I signed, the welcome was amazing for me. I felt straight away comfortable to play for the team and during my five years it’s been amazing with the fans in the stadium. Thank you for the song as well, I never talked about it, but it really touched me a lot and, a big thank you for everything. I’ll keep in contact with my team-mates, with the coaches, with the club. I supported Arsenal since I was young, so obviously I’m going to keep supporting them. I know I will come back to the stadium as well.
Like we say, ‘Once a Gunner, always a Gunner.’”
Arsenal now need a new number 9 and a new captain.
Martin Odegaard has been leading the team in Laca’s absence over the last few fixtures, but is he your choice of player to inherit the captain’s armband on a permanent basis? I think Thomas Partey would be my first choice out of who we have but in all honesty, I think the team is still missing a player with real captain credentials but that’s just my opinion. Perhaps I’m simply hanging onto the past whilst hoping for another one like Tony Adams or Patrick Vieira. Truth is though, there are very few players around like them anymore, if any.
Anyway, I wish Laca all the very best for his future, Kevin Betsy too, who seems to be on the verge of leaving the under 23’s to become manager of Crawley Town.
Catch up in the comments.
Hi Rico, how you changed the posting time?
My preference for captaincy would be Martin Odegaard, he’s settled in well
Hi Kyalo, not really, have just had a few things to do in the morning.
For me he was one of the misjudged signings. Bought for 52m with 182k wages a week. He didn’t live up to his price and wages
Good riddance. Arteta should hot rid of Elneny as well but he bottle it. Another average player not deserving to be here.
Rico well noted, I concur with you that the players of today still lack strong personalities/ no nonsense attitude of the Tony Adams/ Roy keane/Vieira era where they would give it all for the badge.
I hope the club sign one or two who have a bit about them this summer Kyalo.
Havyn, Laca hasn’t be as good as I thought he’d be but I totally understand why Elneny is staying. Smart move imo.
Farewell Laca, good luck wherever you finish up. Stayed a season too long in my opinion.
As to the captaincy, Tierney was the name on many lips last summer but with his injury record he would be a bad choice. The Captain needs to be a player close to the first name on the team sheet.
Not Partey, Rico, for similar reasons to Tierney plus too much chance of silly bookings.
I would go for Odegaard with Ben White as Vice Captain.
I wonder if Xhaka will be in the running, should he stay of course.
Better rotation might help them both though Cicero. Hopefully Mikel Arteta will have the players to allow that..
Odegaard is na nice pretty player that makes nice passes ,.
But this guy scores goals
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/football/61686339
He certainly does. Love him..
I like Alex Lacazette he always had the right kind of attitude, he never sulked and usually gave his best and for me his best was during our run to the Europa Cup Final, he and Aubameyang were fabulous, that is until the final itself.
When you consider his transfer fee of some £46.6m and his salary of approx £9.5m per year which adds up to a hefty £94m over his 5 years, that and agents fees and bonuses maybe even a loyalty bonus so then we’re looking at around £100m or £20m per season. Was he value for money?
I don’t think so, but he was adequate and at a time when Arsenal were in a bit of a mess so he leaves with our best wishes but for me I can’t help feeling that we could have invested the money for him better and on more effective players.
Martin Odegaard seems to be the bookies choice as the next Arsenal captain and I’d be quite happy about Martin leading the team out, he rarely misses out through injury, he’s respected by his team mates and I think he has a decent rapport with the officials but I’d give it to Ben White myself for all the same reasons as Odegaard but as an Englishman and England player he might just carry even more influence with the refs.
I want to see Arteta solve the Odegaard – Smith -Rowe conundrum becasuse threy are both too good to have one left out .
Having been selected to deputise for Lacazette Odegaard might well be p****d off if Arteta appoints someone else as club captain. Why rock the boat unnecessarily?
I looked at the famous 1989 team at Anfield and tried to compare the players in the system that George used.
That night we started with 5 at the back three in midfield and two up front .or 5 – 4 – 1 when defending.
To copy that either ESR or Odegaard doesn’t play. The problem is that we don’t have a Smith and we have two Mersons .
You could take Saka as a Rocastle and possibly ESR or Odegaard as Thomas leaving Martinelli as a lone forward.
My problem is that I want ESR in the team but I think that Arteta sees him and Odegaard as similar and he is hanging his hat on the Norwegian ., Yet ESR scores goals and we need goals.
I too believe there’s a way both ESR and Odegaard can play in the same team and out of the two, ESR has the better end product. Sign Gilberto or Petit and then playing both would be possible imo. Lol
New post up now