Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says club record signing Alexandre Lacazette needs be more like Zlatan Ibrahimovic if he’s be to a success in the Premier League.
Ahead of Arsenal’s Premier League opener with Leicester City, Wenger has been speaking about Lacazette’s competitive debut for the Gunners after making his £52m move from Olympique Lyonnais.
He believes the best way for the French international to shine in England is by taking from Ibrahimovic’s example after he went from Ligue 1 to the Premier League.
“For sure, his goalscoring record is not necessarily transferable from the French League to the English. But you could say that Ibrahimovic transferred an identical amount of goals from France to England. So that’s the target Lacazette should set,” he said, reports the Express.
The Swedish international scored 17 goals in 28 games in the top-flight after top scoring in France for two seasons. He’s now 35 years of age and may be retained by United when he recovers from his injury.
Lacazette has since scored 20+ Ligue 1 goals in each of the last three campaigns and will be hoping to transfer such a prolific record to a new division.
There can be an arrogance about the Premier League, I feel, with people viewing the division as the ultimate test of a football. Player’s goalscoring records in other countries are often ignored when coming to England.
If Lacazette can replicate his 28 goals in 30 league games for Lyon last season, Arsenal could end up with major silverware. Wenger was full of praise for the Arsenal striker and believes he can pick up where he left off.
“With Lacazette it’s simple. He is an intelligent player who can integrate our game well as we have a game backed on mobility and technique,” Wenger added.
“After that we get the efficiency – his record in France last season was to score one in 80 minutes. If he can maintain that record that would be ideal for us as a game lasts 90 so that would guarantee you a goal each time.”