Alexandre Lacazette has been in brilliant form in recent months, taking Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s place in the side after he was stripped of the Arsenal captaincy
By Chris Doyle
Alexandre Lacazette has reportedly rejected Arsenal ‘s latest contract offer handing a major dilemma to Mikel Arteta ahead of January.
The Frenchman is out of contract in the summer and, as it stands, he will leave the Emirates at the end of the season as a free agent.
Lacazette has been in brilliant form in recent months, taking Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ‘s place in the side after he was stripped of the captaincy.
The 30-year-old has taken the armband on a temporary basis too with Arteta claiming he has thrived in a leadership role.
Arsenal will be desperate for him to extend his stay in north London, especially with Aubamayeng’s future up in the air.
But the striker has rejected their latest one-year extension as he is looking for a long-term deal elsewhere, according to the L’Equipe.
Arteta is content for Lacazette to remain as captain despite the fact he is set to leave the club in the summer.
Asked if Lacazette could have the armband for the foreseeable future, the Spaniard said: “Well, he’s the next in line and he’s taken it the way everybody saw today with such pride and commitment. I’m really happy again with the way he played.”
Asked if he is embracing the role, he added: “Absolutely. But Laca has always been like that in the dressing room. You see how he is with the other players how willing he is to help. It’s in his nature.
“He’s not a selfish player. He’s a player that’s happy when he makes the rest better. He’s like this in the dressing room as well.”
If Lacazette and Aubameyang both leave Arsenal in the summer, Arteta faces a huge dilemma and would need to dip into the market for at least one striker.
And he admitted that he hopes to add reinforcements if the right opportunity presents itself, but admits players with ‘uncertain futures’ could be going in the other direction too.
He said: “We are in discussions. We have talks every week about it, how we can improve the team, and what things can happen in the January transfer window that can affect our squad.
“As you know, we have certain players with a little bit of uncertainty in the summer so we have to plan what’s going to happen now and what’s going to happen in the summer.
“A lot has to be done, we know and we don’t expect big things to be happening, but we need to be very alert in the market to see if we can improve the team.
“We have to be prepared because things can happen and injuries can arise in this period of the season and you have to be prepared and planned.”
