AFTV News

Alexandre Lacazette - The Arsenal striker is gone, but how quickly will he be forgotten? By Ben Hart After five years in north London, Alexandre Lacazette has returned to Lyon. He leaves with a record of 71 goals in 206 appearances, a return of just better than one every three games.   The Frenchman was signed to displace Olivier Giroud, with Arsenal still reeling from the 2015/16 season, where a lack of firepower arguably cost them the Premier League title.   Having arrived for a fee in the region of £50 million, then a club record, much was expected of Arsenal’s No.9.   Here we look at how his time at the Emirates will be remembered and whether the signing can be deemed successful.   Reluctance from the outset   Arsenal had been monitoring Lacazette for well over a year prior to his arrival in 2017.   Arsene Wenger passed up the opportunity to sign him the previous summer, instead favouring a move for Leicester’s Jamie Vardy, which ultimately proved unsuc...

  Alexandre Lacazette's best moments in an Arsenal shirt By Tum Balogun  Arsenal announced the Frenchman’s departure last week, bringing an end to five successful years with the Gunners.  The 31-year-old arrived from his hometown Lyon for an initial £46.5 million fee and has gone on to bag an FA Cup, Community Shield, and Arsenal Player of the Season for 2018/19, scoring 71 goals from his 206 appearances.  That goalscoring record may not rank highly among Gunners legends of old, though he is in Arsenal’s top ten all-time Premier League goal scorers.  It is Lacazette’s contributions away from goal - showcased in his deployment by Mikel Arteta this season - that has made him invaluable to the side over the years.  In celebration of the striker’s half a decade at the Emirates, let’s take a look at his best five moments in an Arsenal shirt.  Wolves comeback  The Gunners went down to an early Hwang Hee-Chan opener against a notoriously miserly Wolverha...

Season Review: End of Season Awards By Jack Lacey-Hatton With the Champions League final and Championship play-off final rounding off the European club season this weekend, it won’t be long before attentions turn to 2022-23. Some supporters will see the last twelve months as a positive step forward for Arsenal and manager  Mikel Arteta, while others will be keen to move on after a missing out on the top four right at the end of the season, to fiercest rivals Tottenham. But before we start assessing summer transfer rumours and counting down the days till the next fixtures are revealed, 18 by the way, first we need to handout the Arsenal FanTV unofficial end of season awards. Ahead of the club's official Player of the Season award to be announced next week, here are our own picks after a rollercoaster season at the Emirates.   Player of the Season Bukayo Saka Sometimes you have to remind yourself where Arsenal would be without Bukayo Saka. The 20-year-old has once again ...

How highly do Arsenal’s attack rate in the Premier League this season? By Jack Lacey-Hatton Arsenal’s attacking unit has undoubtedly been key to Mikel Arteta reigniting a Champions League challenge this season. You only have to hear Gooners at grounds across the land singing loudly and proudly about Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe, to know how fundamental the team’s forward stars have been to the upturn in results this season. Even the departure of the previously talismanic captain and number nine Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, midway through the campaign, hasn’t overly impacted upon Arsenal’s resurgence. While goalkeeper, defence and midfield have also improved this season compared with the last, to varying degrees, the collective ability at the top of the pitch has made a huge difference. But how does Arsenal’s attack compare with the rest of the Premier League so far?   Goal return Perhaps the priority area to strengthen in attack over the summer transfer window will be the goalsco...

Player Profile: Luke Jovic By Matt Wright I t’s fair to say Luka Jovic’s move to Real Madrid from Eintracht Frankfurt in 2019 has not worked out for the Serbian striker, who was one of the most in-demand players in Europe at the time of his transfer.  A combination of injuries and having to compete for a place with players like Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior mean the 24-year-old has been restricted to 49 appearances for the 13-time European champions, with only 13 of these starts.  With this in mind, it is perfectly conceivable that Jovic may look to revitalise his career by seeking a move away from the Spanish capital this summer.  His age means his best years should still be ahead of him, while it also allows him to fit in with the young squad being developed at Arsenal by Mikel Arteta.  Here is all you need to know about him…  Background  Aged eight, Jovic was scouted by Red Star Belgrade and he rose through their ranks before making his debut in seni...

Is Alexandre Lacazette the right choice as Arsenal captain? by Jonny Bray Alexandre Lacazette has been named Arsenal captain following the departure of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.  The Gabonese striker’s move to Barcelona was another example of the club’s recent poor record with their captains.  He was just another name in a long line of Arsenal skippers to leave the club unceremoniously.  Other players could have been named captain instead.  Kieran Tierney, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel have all shown that they have what it takes to captain the side.  In contrast, there are several reasons why Lacazette may be the wrong choice.  So, has Arteta made the right call or is Lacazette doomed to fail as his predecessor did?  What will he bring to the role?  Lacazette is the most experienced forward at the club.  The Frenchman has played 145 Premier League games for Arsenal, scoring 53 goals and recording 22 assists in the process.  That’s actually a ...

Should Arsenal sell or keep Nicolas Pepe this summer? By Jack Lacey-Hatton It’s fair to say Nicolas Pepe's Arsenal career to date would probably be described as ‘mixed’ at best. Many in the game believe his form to be wildly inconsistent and not what you’d expect from a club-record £72million signing. When Pepe joined from Lille back in the summer of 2019, he was expected to be the final piece in attacking jigsaw. Manager at the time Unai Emery said after his signing was confirmed, “Nicolas is a highly-rated and talented winger who was wanted by many of the top teams in Europe. ” The Lille man excited everyone connected with the Gunners. Here was a player who would give Arsenal a different attacking dimension, perhaps the signing to lead the team back to the Champions League. But sadly his move hasn’t transformed the team and in early 2022 few of the biggest clubs in Europe would be desperate to secure his signature. Equally, it would be unfair to suggest his time at the club ha...

Do Arsenal lack attacking quality? By Jonny Bray It's strange what a difference a year can make in football. If you'd asked me where Arsenal don't need to invest for much of the past three or four years, I would have said upfront. And yet, with the end of the January transfer window fast approaching, The Gunners appear to be in desperate need of a goalscorer. During the window, Mikel Arteta's side has been linked with several of the most exciting young forwards in European football. Dominic Calvert-Lewin of Everton, Dušan Vlahović of ACF Fiorentina and Real Sociedad's Alexander Isak have all emerged as possible targets for The Gunners. After the 0-0 draw against Burnley, Arteta made his intentions abundantly clear, stressing that Arsenal aren't good enough going forward. He said: "We lacked quality in attack. "It was what we planned, but the market is difficult and complicated. "We knew that, but it's a lot to manage. We have to make the right...