There were lots of positives in Arsenal’s win over Watford on Sunday, and Alexandre Lacazette’s brace of assists was one of them.
Alexandre Lacazette may not have scored an open-play goal for a while now – given the winner against Wolves went down as a Jose Sa own goal – but he’s certainly laying on the assists for his teammates.
The two assists Lacazette provided on Saturday were his sixth and seventh in the last nine league games.
The Arsenal fans recognised that contribution, despite the lack of goals from the striker, and they showed their appreciation by singing his name from the stands during the Watford match.
One fan caught Lacazette on camera responding to the chants, waving to the fans before patting the badge on his chest.
https://twitter.com/Buddybuddysmith/status/1500512565897617414
Mikel Arteta recently suggested that Lacazette is behaving like someone who wants to stay with Arsenal beyond the summer, which is when his contract ends.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen at the end of the season,” Arteta said.
“We don’t have contracts that run for 20 years, it’s part of our job. He behaves like someone who wants to stay with us.”
The striker is currently free to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with a foreign club, but Arsenal aren’t planning to rush into extension talks with him.
Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas recently told the media they intend to make a move for Lacazette this summer.
“We’ll do our best to sign Alexandre Lacazette in June,” Aulas said.
Lyon director Vincent Ponsot added: “We’ve seen the maturity that he’s acquired. We’ve always remained in contact with him. But bringing in big players is always complicated.”
L’Equipe previously reported that Lyon tried in vain to pry Lacazette away from Arsenal in January, and they’ll attempt to lure him back again in the coming months.
But perhaps if things continue to go well, Arsenal return to the Champions League, and the bond between the player and the fans strengthens further, Lacazette may instead decide to stay.