David Bentley doesn’t understand why Alexandre Lacazette hasn’t been playing every game.
The former Arsenal and Tottenham midfielder rates the French striker very highly, and claims it’s “bizarre” that he hasn’t played in every match for Arsenal.
Lacazette has completed ninety minutes just once since arriving from Lyon for a club record fee.
Bentley fears that such treatment could damage Lacazette’s confidence.
“Lacazette has come in and hit the ground running,” he said, as reported by the Daily Star.
“He’s answered the questions and he’s a goal-scorer – he should be playing.
“I don’t know why he’s not to be honest.
“You purchase a player and you want him to get confident so it doesn’t make sense to unsettle a player who has just come into a football club.
“I’d be playing him every minute of every game and there is no better period for him to play because he can be seen as the saviour of Arsenal.
“Arsene has options but whether his options are as good as a guy who scored on his debut and has such a good goal-scoring record.
“He’s the best man to play. It’s bizarre.
“Maybe he is testing him? Or he is being loyal to his other players.”
There has been head-scratching all around as Wenger hasn’t quite given Lacazette the star treatment he was expected to receive.
To leave him on the bench for big away trips to Manchester City and Liverpool ranks up there with some of Wenger’s strangest decisions.
In his short time at the club, Lacazette has already proven to be a more effective striker than the current options at the club.
Hopefully, this becomes a quirk of his early days at the club and stops being an issue as the season goes on, starting with Saturday’s game against Tottenham.
With Olivier Giroud out with a minor injury, Danny Welbeck just returning from the sidelines and Alex Iwobi only just back from international duty, Wenger should have no reason not to start Lacazette.