Surprise statistics point to clear Alexandre Lacazette transfer decision for Arsenal

Arsenal: Arteta says Lacazette is glue that holds team together

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Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette is linked with a move away from the club this summer – but the Gunners must make sure they do not act too hastily. Lacazette turns 30 in a few days’ time and sees his contract at the Emirates expire in the summer of 2022. The Frenchman has rarely been able to light up the Premier League since his arrival in 2017.

However, a look at Lacazette’s statistics from this season gives a surprising insight to his impact on Mikel Arteta’s side.

Lacazette’s 13 Premier League goals in 31 appearances is nothing to write home about.

But when you look at his minutes-per-goal ratio, it will leave you wondering why he did not feature more this term.

Lacazette averaged a goal every 148 minutes of Premier League football.

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Of the 10 players who scored 13 or more goals in the top flight, only  Golden Boot-winner Harry Kane and runner-up Mohamed Salah have a better record than the Arsenal man.

In fact, of the 25 top scorers in the Premier League this season, only five had a better minutes-per-goal ratio than Lacazette.

The shock statistics do not stop there though. Lacazette’s goal conversion rate is also extremely high.

The former Lyon man scores a goal with 33 per cent of his shots.

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Of those 25 players, only Gareth Bale and Edinson Cavani have a better record.

Lacazette’s shot accuracy is better than the 24 other players, with 73 per cent of his shots being on target.

Burnley’s Chris Wood is the only other player to have a percentage of 70 or more in that regard.

So is Lacazette underrated and undervalued in this Arsenal side? You would have to say yes.

Going by this season alone, Lacazette deserves a starting spot ahead of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as the central striker.

Aubameyang was handed a new three-year contract last September, which will keep him at the club until 2023.

The Gabon star turns 32 in July, so is over two years’ older than Lacazette.

Arsenal have been linked with the likes of Celtic’s Odsonne Edouard and Lyon’s Moussa Dembele.

But perhaps keeping Lacazette, and tying him down to a new deal, would be the right decision instead.

There are other areas of the pitch that need strengthening more than the striker position.

Academy graduate Folarin Balogun, 19, is highly-rated and could be the long-term forward for the Gunners.

But keeping Lacazette at the club would take pressure off Balogun and allow him to be the natural successor in a couple of years’ time.

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