Alexandre Lacazette has completed his move to Arsenal for £46.5 million. The French forward has been competing at a high standard in Ligue 1, the Champions League, the Europa League and on the international stage for many years but now has a chance to prove himself in the Premier League.
You might know a bit about him, but we’ve made finding out more easier by creating a whistle-stop tour of his career and accomplishments. But we’ve also gone into a bit more detail for those Arsenal fans that are keen to find out exactly who they’ve signed and what he will bring to the Emirates.
Rush Facts:
- Lacazette spent his entire youth career at Lyon.
- He got his call up to the senior team and made his debut against Auxerre in 2010.
- He scored his first professional goal for Lyon against Sochaux in 2010.
- He won the 2010 UEFA European Under-19 Championship.
- He made his Champions League debut and got two assists in a 4-3 defeat to Benfica in 2010.
- He got his senior team call up and made his debut against Uruguay in 2013.
- He scored his first hat-trick against Lille in 2014.
- Lacazette broke Lyon’s record for most goals in a season (27) in 2015.
- He was the Ligue 1 top goal-scorer and Ligue 1 Player of the Season in the 2014-15 season.
- He has been in the Ligue 1 Team of the Season three times (2013-14, 2014-15 and 2016-17).
- He scored his first international goal, against Denmark in 2015.
- He scored his 100th goal for Lyon, becoming the club’s fourth all-time goalscorer in 2016.
- He has made 275 appearances for Lyon.
- His brother, Romuald Lacazette, plays for 1860 Munich who are now in the Regionalliga Bayern after suffering relegation from the 2. Bundesliga last season.
If you’re fed up of reading about him and just want to see him in action, we’ve got you covered. Check out the video below to see a remarkable hat-trick he scored in the 2015-16 season, which includes a cracking dink over the goalkeeper!
If you want to find out more, read on for more details about the Frenchman!
1998-2010 (Lyon)
Lacazette spent his entire youth career at Lyon. Towards the end of his youth career he had some notable successes, particularly coming third in the Championnat National 18 ans. In 2008 he began making regular appearances in the fourth tier of French football, the Championnat de France Amateur, and found some fine goal-scoring form, netting 12 goals in 22 appearances.
2010-2017 (Lyon)
After a number of consistently good seasons at youth level, Lacazette got the call up to the senior team in 2010 and made his debut against Auxerre. He originally signed a three year professional contract, but ended up staying at the club for seven years. The young French striker gained some global recognition after playing well at the 2010 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. He scored his first professional goal for Lyon against Sochaux, and it turned out to be the winning goal. Later that same week he made his Champions League debut and got two assists in a 4-3 defeat to Benfica.
He also scored against PSG in the 2014 Coupe de la Ligue Final, but it wasn’t enough as Lyon went on to lose 2-1. Later that year, he scored his first hat-trick against Lille. In 2015, Lacazette broke Lyon’s record for most goals in a season by scoring his 26th against Reims. He finished the season with 27 goals and was the Ligue 1 top goal-scorer in that 2014-15 season, this lead to him being awarded Ligue 1 Player of the Season.
He scored his 100th goal for Lyon in 2016, becoming the club’s fourth all-time goalscorer.
International
Lacazette began his French international football career with their under-16 team and has featured at all youth levels since then. But in 2013 he finally got his senior team call up and made his debut against Uruguay. It wasn’t until 2015 when the striker scored his first international goal, against Denmark.
Overall, Lacazette is clearly a talented forward and it is no surprise that Arsenal have brought in a Frenchman to score some goals. However, there may be some questions asked if Giroud leaves the Gunners as he currently keeps Lacazette out of the French national team. Regardless, Lacazette seems equipped with the necessary attributes to succeed in the Premier League and his record in Ligue 1 is very impressive. It will be interesting to see how he adjusts to the English league and only time will tell how he will perform…
