Arsenal's Lacazette contract stance is the perfect one
Robin Bairner
- 18 Nov 2021 09:49 CST
- 3 min read
Arsenal are set to take a very smart approach to Alexandre Lacazette’s future at the club.
Lacazette has been in disappointing form early in the 2021/22 season, scoring just a single goal in six Premier League outings to date. Furthermore, he does not even have an assist in that time.
Nevertheless, the 30-year-old posts a remarkably consistent Premier League record for Arsenal. In his four previous campaigns, he has netted 50 times, managing at least 10 each season.
His record may not be spectacular, but it has been very steady.
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Lacazette, though, is seen as a player on the wane and is into the final year of his contract, making him eligible to leave on a free transfer next summer.
With the January transfer window looming, he has been linked with a possible switch to Spain, where he has previously been linked with Atletico Madrid and more recently with Sevilla.
Lacazette in the Premier League
| Season | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | 32 | 14 |
| 2018/19 | 35 | 13 |
| 2019/20 | 30 | 10 |
| 2020/21 | 31 | 13 |
| 2021/22 | 6 | 1 |
Arsenal's clever stance
According to The Athletic, though, Arsenal want to keep the 30-year-old hitman – but only under certain conditions.
Having been burned in the past by signing aging players like Mesut Ozil and Shkodran Musatfi to long and well-paid deals, the Gunners are only willing to offer Lacazette a one-year contract.
This is a particularly shrewd move in light of the log jam that is building up of academy players who are seeking game time that they cannot be promised.
Folarin Balogun, for example, has intimated that he is willing to move away from the club in search of first-team football via a loan deal. It will not be long, though, before he is agitating for a more permanent move if his pathway to the matchday squad is blocked.
Gabriel Martinelli appears content to be patient for now, but this will not be endless.
Similarly, Eddie Nketiah appears to be unhappy at the club, although it may now be too late for Arsenal to keep him.
Arsenal’s move to keep Lacazette – a solid and proven Premier League performer – for another year is smart, but he has not proven himself indispensable enough to retain for much longer.
