5 Reasons Why Alexandre Lacazette Might Flop At Arsenal

Numerous big name signings have occurred during this transfer windows. Several clubs have broken the bank to purchase players. A number of teams have broken their transfer record, with Man City paying €57m for Benjamin Mendy. While the season draws nearer, top EPL clubs have bolstered their attacking ranks with Chelsea acquiring Alvaro Morata, Arsenal recruiting Alexandre Lacazette, Man Utd purchasing Romelu Lukaku. There's a lookout for a scapegoat amidst them. Someone who will flop, and while pre-season has exposed some of their weaknesses, majority of people have given their opinion on why it might be Lacazette who will flop his lines. However here are Five Reasons Why Lacazette Might Flop At Arsenal

1.There’s a lot of pressure on him at Arsenal

Arsenal are coming to the 2017/2018 season with a backlog of disappointments.  One is it was the first time they’d dropped out of the top four places since they first made it to the upper reaches of the table in 1996/97, and to rub salt into the wounds it was the first time they’d finished below bitter rivals Tottenham since the Premier League began.

Lacazette is coming to Arsenal in a time where they need him most. Olivier Giroud has been under-performing,  Danny Welbeck can’t be trusted and Alexis Sanchez looks certain to leave. All hopes are on him. There’s a lot of pressure heaped on him to succeed. Remember, he was bought for a fee of 46.5 million, a fee that broke Arsenal transfer record. 

2. He’s not a Big Game Player : Before Arsene Wenger bought Lacazette, fellow rival, Jose Mourinho was also on the lookout for a striker, a physical one just like Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He sent scouts to the major leagues. Scouting reports revealed that Lacazette isn’t a big game player, meaning He fails to perform during big game and since Man United would be involved in the Champions League, Mourinho opted for Lukaku. However, this factor has been evident in Arsenal’s pre-season as Lacazette has failed to score against the big teams they faced. Against Chelsea, he produced a lacklustre performance and against Benfica, he had a poor ball control.

3. Ligue 1 Mentality: While Ligue 1 remains one of the top 5 leagues in the world, its quality can’t be compared to the Premier League. Truth to be told, Ligue 1 isn’t a big league. It is a league for average players. The more reason why premier league flops like Balotelli and Depay are flourishing there.

You can't come to the Premier League and score 40 goals like Ibra did during his time at PSG. Fatigue, 3 games within 6 games and some life-threatening injuries makes it more complicated for a player crossing over from France.

4. The Physicality Of The Premier League: Can Lacazette deliver against teams like Stoke City or physical defenders like Vincent Kompany and Nicholas Otamendi or rather at Crystal Palace who have tough defenders like Damien Delaney and Sakho? The physical game of the Premier League makes it difficult for Players who are of lightweight to thrive well. The major reason why Diego Costa was a success at Chelsea was because he was adapted to playing the physical game and given his body weight, he was just too tough to handle for Defenders. Lacazette did score 7 goals in European competition last season but majority of those goals came against little sides and not against Europe's elite teams. So whether Lacazette can deliver against tough defences, week in, week out, is still a question mark.

Will Lacazette be able to deliver against teams like Stoke? 

5. Arsenal Playing Style: Arsenal playing style is synonymous to Barca's. They like to stretch opponents' Defence by maintaining possession. This weakens defenders as they run after the ball. Here, all the players are involved in the ball playing process. The main reason why Giroud isn't making waves as expected is due to the fact that He can't hold possession. In Barcelona, Suarez, Neymar and Messi know how to tap the ball around and make runs with it. This is an area that might take time for Lacazette to adapt to. Lyon don't operate with this style and Lacazette isn't a creative player as well, He only managed 3 assists in 2408 minutes while Suarez had 13 assists.

P.S: While Lacazette might go on to prove doubters wrong, let's not forget he would be donning the Number 9 shirt which is somewhat associated with ill-luck. Most players who wore the Number 9 jersey were flops from Julio Baptista, Antonio Reyes and Lucas Perez.

Written By Otolorin Olabode 

otolorinolabode@gmail.com 

The curse of Coquelin: The stat that proves Arsenal must drop midfielder against Hull

The Frenchman has often been a regular for the Gunners over the course of the season but Arsene Wenger may be better off leaving him out on Saturday

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger may choose to ring the changes against Hull City after the humbling at Chelsea last time out and there's one player in particular who should be fearing the chop.

Francis Coquelin was swatted away like a fly as Eden Hazard raced past him and through on goal before slotting home to finish off a memorable solo effort in the 3-1 win at Stamford Bridge.

'Only Alexis would make Spurs's team'
But that shouldn't be Wenger's primary concern when he considers whether to drop the Frenchman against the improving Tigers.

Surely far more damning is Coquelin's stats over the course of the season and how he appears to be hindering the Gunners more than helping them.
Perhaps just a coincidence rather than a fair reflection of Coquelin's ability and his importance to the Arsenal team but they really do not make for pleasant reading for fans of the north Londoners.
Arsenal have only won 41 per cent (nine) of the 22 games that Coquelin has started in all competitions this season, while they have, quite remarkably, won all 13 where he hasn't been involved from the off.

In Coquelin's defence, though, he has at least made 34 successful tackles in the league, the joint second highest of any Arsenal player behind only Granit Xhaka (38).
The Gunners will be looking to recover following consecutive defeats against Watford and Antonio Conte's Chelsea when they face Hull on Saturday where, if he starts, Coquelin will undoubtedly be desperate to break his personal hoodoo.

My Time At Arsenal Is Coming To An End’- Arsene Wenger Finally Opens Up

Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger has admitted that his time in charge of the Premier League club, “is coming to an end”.

This was revealed by Gunners’ former striker, Ian Wright, who played under Wenger when he arrived in England over 20 years ago.

Speaking to BBC 5 Live, Wright claimed he met with the Frenchman on Thursday night and he told him his time at the Emirates is “coming to the end”.

“I was with the boss last night and if I’m going to be totally honest I think that’s it,” Wright said.

The 67-year-old’s future has been the subject of intense speculation, with his current contract running out at the end of this season.

Juventus coach, Massimiliano Allegri, has emerged as the top favourite to replace Wenger.

Speaking after their 2-0 win over Crotone on Wednesday Allegri insisted that the rumours were all paper talk.

“I won’t deny or confirm anything,” he told Mediaset Premium.

“I am in sync with the club, now we have to focus on winning.

“At this time of the season the media always says I’m leaving, even when things are going really well.”

Someone At Manchester United Blocked My Return To The Club – Evra

Patrice Evra has admitted he was very close to re-joining Manchester United, but “a person at the club” blocked the transfer.

Evra played for United between 2006 and 2014 and won five Premier League titles and the Champions League among 10 major trophies. He was keen on returning to Old Trafford last month and even held talks with Jose Mourinho.

The 35-year-old has already signed for Marseille after leaving Juventus in the January transfer window.

“I was very close to a return to Manchester United,” Evra told Sky Italia.

“I also spoke with Mourinho but there was a person, whose name I will not say, who probably did not like the idea of my return.

“Even the fans were enthusiastic and would have been delighted, but because I realised that they [the club] would not do anything I then asked my agent to look for other teams.

“Marseille immediately won me over with their project and immediately created a great feeling.

“We only spent one day to close the deal. They really treated me like a God, making it clear they had a great need for me.”

Nigeria’s Ezekiel Bassey joins Barcelona

Super Eagles and Enyimba FC forward, Ezekiel Bassey, has joined the Team B of Spanish giants, Barcelona, on loan until the end of the season.

The Spanish giants announced on Tuesday that they had “reached an agreement” with seven-time Nigeria League champions for the services of the young forward to join their B-team for the rest of the season.

It is understood that the agreement between the Catalan outfit and Enyimba also includes a purchase option for two seasons according to Spanish news outlet Sport.es.

“FC Barcelona and Enyimba Football Club have reached an agreement for the transfer until the end of season of the player Ezekiel Joseph Bassey for Barça B.

“The agreement includes a purchase option for two more seasons. The 20-year-old Nigerian striker will undergo medical examination in the next few hours,” Barca announced on their website on Tuesday.

Bassey, who can play as a forward or as a wide man caught the fancy of his new employers when the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) All-Star team went for a week-long tour in Spain following the partnership between the League Management Company, LMC, and the Spanish La Liga.

The former Akwa United man will be keen to hit the ground running as he faces the challenge with the Barcelona B team.