Alexandre Lacazette has revealed that one of the main reasons he signed for Arsenal from Lyon this summer was because Alexis Sanchez was at the club.

Lacazette has praised Alexis’ ‘mental attitude’, claiming that the Chilean is one of the reasons he signed for Arsenal in the first place.

“That’s also one of the reasons why I wanted to come to Arsenal – to play with players of [Alexis’] calibre,” Laca told Arsenal Player.

“Just seeing him in training, I like the way he plays and his mental attitude. His approach makes me want to play alongside him – hopefully for many years.”

The striker has already scored four goals in seven Premier League appearances this season compared to Alexis’ one in the Europa League. However, the forward has been playing at the top level for far longer than the 26-year-old so you can understand Laca’s admiration for his teammate.

alexis bournmouth
(IAN KINGTON/AFP/Getty Images)

Although, in terms of work rate and attitude, I’d say the former Ligue 1 ace edges it this term.

While Alexis has created 11 chances to Lacazette’s seven, the former Barca forward hasn’t got out of second gear this season. Whether this is because he’s tired after playing in the Confederations Cup this summer, he’s genuinely been struggling with an injury as Arsene Wenger says, or it’s because he’s annoyed that he didn’t complete his move to Manchester City at the end of the transfer window, it’s definitely noticeable.

Hopefully, Laca finds other players to look up to since, with under a year left on his current deal, it’s looking very likely that Alexis will either be leaving in January or on a free at the end of the season.