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Former Arsenal attacker Paul Merson believes recently-departed forward Alexandre Lacazette had an underwhelming spell at the Emirates Stadium. The 54-year-old expected more from the former French forward during his five-season spell in the Premier League.
Merson stated that Lacazette did have moments of brilliance on the field but those were few and far between. Mikel Arteta's side will now need to find a replacement for the Frenchman. Writing in his column for the Daily Star, the former player-turned-pundit wrote:
"I don't think Lacazette ever fulfilled his potential at Arsenal. He could have done more. He should have done more. At times he'd do things and you'd think: 'Wow what a player.' But he just didn't do enough."
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"It's a disappointing way to bow out there really. This is a big summer for Arsenal because they missed out on the Champions League and they need to make signings."
Lacazette first arrived at the Emirates in the summer of 2017 from Ligue 1 outfit Olympique Lyonnais for a fee of around £47 million. The 31-year-old forward will now return to Lyon on a free transfer at the end of his Gunners' contract.
Alexandre Lacazette had a decent time in England with Arsenal. The Frenchman scored 71 goals and provided 36 assists in 206 appearances for the Gunners across all competitions. Lacazette did manage to win the FA Cup in 2020 and the subsequent Community Shield a few months later.
Arsenal need a new forward ahead of the 2022-23 season
Mikel Arteta will be in dire need of a new forward ahead of the new season. As things stand, the Gunners have a shortage of attacking options following the departure of Alexandre Lacazette.
They also let Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leave in January to sign for Barcelona on a free transfer after mutually agreeing to terminate the player's contract. The only player capable of playing as a forward naturally at the moment is Eddie Nketiah.
According to reports, the Gunners are set to offer Nketiah a new five-year contract in the coming weeks.
According to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal are also interested in signing Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City. The Brazilian international could be viewed as the club's primary forward during the 2022-23 season. According to Romano, the Gunners are also keen on bringing in Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans.
