Former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit believes Alexandre Lacazette’s career at the Emirates is as good as over after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was recruited from Borussia Dortmund last month.
The France international was a long-term target for the Gunners, and he joined the club prior to the start of the 2017/18 season for a then-record fee of £46m.
After having averaged a goal in every other league game with Lyon, Lacazette was expected to shine in the Gunners frontline, but he has seemingly struggled to find his feet since his initial impression in the club’s shirt.
The £52m forward has netted just a solitary goal since scoring versus Manchester United in a 3-1 defeat in early December, and Petit has now handed a warning to the 26-year-old.
In a report covered by The Sun, Petit believes that his compatriot is facing an early exit from the Gunners, should he fail to show improvement between now and the end of the campaign.
Lacazette cannot be deemed a flop, owing to his decent tally of nine goals in 27 outings, Aubameyang’s arrival means that he may have to contend with a bench role until he regains his scoring touch.
Petit said: “He needs to improve or face the exit this summer. Aubameyang’s signing tells me it might already be too late.
“Arsene Wenger’s belief in Lacazette has gone. After six months his statistics are not exactly tremendous. Auba is exactly the man Arsenal need.”
Arsenal are at the Wembley Stadium for this weekend’s Premier League outing versus Tottenham Hotspur, and Lacazette is likely to start from the substitutes’ bench unless Arsene Wenger opts to play him out wide or begin with a two-striker formation.
