Arsene Wenger has said he is pleased to have signed Alexandre Lacazette at what now seems to be a bargain price.

You know the transfer market is nuts when £52m is seen as a relatively low amount for a player.

That, though, is the reality we’re now living in.

Arsenal broke their transfer record in July when they signed Lacazette. A month later, Neymar has moved to Paris Saint-Germain for £198m, and Kylian Mbappe could soon move in another £100m+ deal.

With fees exploding like that, Wenger is pleased that he got Lacazette early.

“It depends sometimes on the timing,” Wenger said in today’s edition of the Sunday Star.

“The inflation sometimes is so quick within the transfer market that the timing of your buys is very important.

“We were already on the case last year, so when I came back in I knew the player. Considering the market now, I think it’s a very decent price.

“The price would certainly be very different today.”

Arsenal might have got Lacazette even earlier. Links with the French striker existed for years before he was signed and he always seemed like an obvious signing. That the signing took this long to happen led some to believe that Wenger didn’t rate him highly.

However, his recent comments would suggest otherwise.

“He’s still in the adaptation period with the team and the league. He’s a bit surprised by the intensity of it all – in training and the games. 

“He’ll get there because he’s brave and intelligent. The intelligence of his runs and the quality of his technique is very good.

“Overall, I don’t worry about him. At the start he was taken back by the intensity but I feel every week he’s getting better and stronger.”

Lacazette arrived with a reputation for being an out-and-out number nine – the type of off-the-shoulder, ruthless finisher that Arsenal have been missing.

Somewhat surprisingly, though, Wenger has a different idea as to what type of striker Lacazette is.

“He’s the nearest we’ve had to Wrighty but he’s not an absolutely obsessed, selfish striker. You have many types of striker and he’s more of a combination player than finisher.

“You look at his numbers – and his assists are very good as well. The quantity of his finishing compared to the rest of Europe is a bit below but the quality of it is at the top.

“He’s a guy who doesn’t shoot a lot – but when he shoots, he finishes.”