Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed the club are set to open talks over extending Alexandre Lacazette’s contract.
The France international has not always had the easiest time at the Emirates Stadium, but it seems clear Arteta is a big fan of what he brings to the team.
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Lacazette has shown moments of real quality in his Gunners career, and may well have performed better in a generally more solid side, with the club as a whole struggling for much of his time in north London.
Still, Arsenal fans will be pleased to hear that Lacazette could be part of the team’s future under Arteta, with the Spanish tactician quoted by the Daily Mirror as saying talks over his situation were on the cards.
“We have to have a chat about the next step with him and get his idea, his feeling,” he said.
“As I said, I am really happy with him. He is a player that I always liked, even when I wasn’t here, because of what he brings to the team – his qualities, his abilities, his work-rate.
“So, let’s see. But now we are in a crucial moment, there is no time to talk about a lot of contractual situations. We still have time and we will do it in the right moment.”
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With the coronavirus pandemic likely to hit clubs’ finances hard this summer, Arsenal could do without losing their big names and being forced into the market to replace them.
It would surely be better value for money for them to give someone like Lacazette a new deal and hope that he can improve under the guidance of the new manager.