Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger wants Alexandre Lacazette to become the Gunners’ very own Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Wenger hopes the 26-year-old seamlessly adjusts to the Premier league from Ligue 1 just as the Swedish striker did last season at Manchester United
ARSENE WENGER has challenged his record signing Alexandre Lacazette to become Arsenal’s very own Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Lacazette will make his Premier League debut for the Gunners at home to Leicester on Friday night following his £46.5million summer switch from Lyon.
The France frontman was one of Ligue One’s most prolific strikers – just like Ibrahimovic was before he left Paris Saint-Germain to join Manchester United 12 months go.
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The Swede made the transition from France to England like a duck a l’orange to water, scoring 28 times for the Red Devils last term.
Now Wenger is hoping his new cross-Channel Eurostar Lacazette can do the same at the Emirates.
The Arsenal boss said: “With Lacazette it's simple. He is an intelligent player who can integrate into our game well as it is backed on mobility and technique.
“After that we get the efficiency. His record in France was to score one in 80 minutes. If he can maintain that record that would be ideal for us.
“As a game is 90 minutes that would guarantee us a goal.
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“Goalscoring records are not necessarily transferable from the French League to the English one.
“But you could say that Ibrahimovic transferred an identical amount of goals from France to England.
“So that's the target Lacazette should set.”
Wenger admits he was surprised to lure the 26-year-old from Lyon to London.
He said: “I know him for a long time.
“In France you have Paris which produces maybe 60 or 70 per cent of players. With the suburbs they go south and west.
“After that you have Lyon which is a special place in France as they have their own mentality.
“They don’t like to move away usually, but he was different.”
Arsenal finished fifth last season and Wenger believes it could be even harder to win the title this time.
He said: “Yes because look at what Man City have done, they have been quite spectacular in the transfer market. Man United as well. And it's not finished.
“Chelsea have bought Morata and have not lost Costa yet. And they will certainly buy more.
“In the middle of the transfer market it's difficult to predict. At the moment the most active have been United, City and Liverpool a bit.
“I said seven or eight can win it but maybe I was a bit positive. I took into account the top four last season and us and Manchester United.
“There could be a surprise like Leicester as well as teams like Everton. So maybe seven. Yes, you can have seven!”
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