Arsenal’s record signing Alexandre Lacazette has said that he will try and persuade Atletico Madrid striker Antoine Griezmann to join the Premier League side next summer.
The 26-year-old has hoped that his close friendship with Antoine Griezmann can somehow help convince the French international to play alongside him at the Emirates stadium. In a £52 million move, Arsene Wenger finally brought in Alexandre Lacazette and filled the need for a clinical centre-forward.
Lacazette and Griezmann share a good bonding
However, like the way Francis Coquelin convinced Lacazette to come to the Emirates, the striker is going to try and persuade Griezmann to make the switch as well. In an interview with BBC, Lacazette said “Yeah [Griezmann is my best mate], we are very good friends and have lots of fun. Our nicknames for each other are ‘Griezzy’ and ‘Lacaz’. If ‘Griezzy’ visits me in London, I’m going to ask him to sign for Arsenal!”
However, Antoine Griezmann was heavily linked with Manchester United but instead decided to commit to Atletico Madrid after their transfer ban and even signed a brand new contract with the club. There is a good chance, however, that Jose Mourinho decides to go after Griezmann again in the summer. With Arsenal almost set to lose Alexis Sanchez, Griezmann would be a perfect replacement for the Chilean.
Lacazette on Antoine Griezmann in @MOTDmag (out tomorrow): "We are very good friends and have lots of fun. Our nicknames for each other are Griezzy and Lacaz. If Griezzy visits me in London, I’m going to ask him to sign for Arsenal!” pic.twitter.com/iYXg8JrEgw
— Chris Wheatley (@ChrisWheatley_) October 2, 2017
Lacazette, on the other hand, has lived up to his reputation scoring 4 goals in just seven games, including becoming the first Arsenal player in the Premier League to score in his first three home league appearances. The 26-year-old has settled very quickly on the pitch but is still struggling to come to terms with life in England. He added “I like London, but the weather isn’t great! I’m having English lessons at the moment. Someone told me to avoid English food as it’s not very good for footballers,”
“The main difference between here and France is there are a lot of very good strikers here – Harry Kane, Romelu Lukaku, Sergio Aguero, Gabriel Jesus, Jamie Vardy, Alvaro Morata. It’s going to be a challenge to win the Golden Boot!”
Author’s take:
Signing Antoine Griezmann would be sensational swoop by the Gunners, especially with Manchester United highly likely to renew their interest in the French international. He’s easily one of the best strikers in the world and thus would be valued over £90 million. And while the deal is a huge ask and perhaps a tab bit unrealistic, maybe, just maybe, Arsenal, Wenger, and Lacazette can pull it off.
