Arteta: Lacazette's future will be addressed at the end of the season
Alexandre Lacazette’s Arsenal future will be addressed at the end of the season, insists Mikel Arteta amid interest from Roma and Sevilla as he hails the forwards’s ‘phenomenal’ work rate and impressive goalscoring form
- Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette has been linked with an exit this summer
- Roma and Sevilla are two interested parties in Arsenal’s in-form Frenchman
- But boss Mikel Arteta insists he will not discuss his future until the end of season
- He praised the ‘phenomenal’ forward after a run of three goals in four games
Mikel Arteta says Arsenal will address Alexandre Lacazette’s future in the summer amid fresh interest in the in-form striker.
Roma and Sevilla have joined long-term admirers Atletico Madrid in keeping tabs on Lacazette, interest Arteta welcomes.
Arteta hailed the Frenchman, who has scored three in his last four league games and 13 in all competitions this season, for his displays and ‘phenomenal’ workrate.
Alexandre Lacazette’s Arsenal future will be sorted out in the summer, says boss Mikel Arteta
But with his contract expiring next summer and Lacazette turning 30 next month the situation regarding his long-term future represents a potential dilemma for Arsenal.
Arteta said: ‘I’m always happy when people talk about our players and speculate – that means they are doing well and getting attention from other clubs.
‘The situation with Laca we will address in the summer, speak to him and just propose the future we want and that’s it. Now I just want players focused and only focused on performing and getting the best out of them for the team.
‘Yes I think he has been really good, in really good form for months now. He is sustaining that level, scoring goals and providing the team with something different as well. His work-rate has been phenomenal and it’s what we want.
The Spaniard welcomed interest from Roma and Sevilla after Lacazette’s form in front of goal
‘We need those type of players hitting the best level when we want to have the chance to do that because over the course of the season we have been missing goals, that creativity in the final third and we need those players to step in and make the difference for the team.’
Arsenal are ninth and nine points off the top four leaving winning the Europa League looking increasingly like their best chance of securing a return to the Champions League.
They face Slavia Prague in the quarter-finals, with the first leg taking place next week.
And Arteta admitted that how the rest of the season unfolds will have an impact on the long-term futures of those players with uncertain ones.
The Frenchman is enjoying a run of scoring three goals in his last four Premier League games
The rest of Arsenal’s season will have an impact on the long-term future of players, Arteta says
He said: ‘Everything is related to where we are, how much we win and where we are playing next season and there are no exceptions and we all need to be clear with that and more with the context we have right now in our industry.’
Arsenal return to action against Liverpool on Saturday evening and will continue to assess Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe.
Saka had to pull out of the England senior squad due to a hamstring problem while Smith Rowe also struggled with a hip problem while away with England under-21s.
Arteta said: ‘He [Saka] hasn’t trained with the team yet. He’s been doing some individual work. We had to pull him out of the England squad unfortunately but he is feeling better but he hasn’t trained with the England team yet.
‘He [Smith Rowe] had some discomfort in his hip and that’s why they decided to keep him out. We will see today how he comes, speak with the doctors and the physios and see if he is available for training tomorrow [Friday].’
Share this article
Source: Read Full Article