Lacazette is the new Wright, says Houllier
NEW BOOKIES NEWCASTLE UNITED are still interested in trying to broker a loan deal for Liverpool winger Sheyi Ojo, despite the Reds planning to take a look at the 20-year-old in pre-season. GERARD HOULLIER has compared Alexandre Lacazette to former Arsenal player Ian Wright, adding that the “mobile” Frenchman has the ability to “fit in” with Arsene Wenger’s style of play at the Emirates.
Lacazette underwent his medical yesterday and is set to be unveiled as an Arsenal player in due course.
Arsenal’s initial approaches for Lacazette fell short of Lyon’s asking price and were subsequently rebuffed, but it’s understood the Premier League club eventually agreed to settle upon a £52m transfer fee for the forward.
Houllier has been advising Lyon in negotiations with Arsenal over Lacazette and has backed the 26year-old to deliver at the club, comparing him to former player Wright.
“He is very mobile, very quick, good in short spaces, has good skill and he scores goals,” Houllier told talkSPORT.
“He was the top scorer in France in 2014-15, the best player in the
THE PREMIER LEAGUE in 2017 is many things but it is not a respecter of reputations. It is not romantic, not sentimental and it moves faster than anyone realises.
Wayne Rooney must know this. He is an unambiguous legend of the Premier League, having won it five times during his 13 years at Manchester United. Only 10 players, all of them from United, have won it more than him.
And yet Rooney must also sense that now, approaching his 32nd birthday, he has lost his footing on the carousel of English football.
The story of Rooney’s brilliant career has been one not just of the most gifted English footballer since Paul Gascoigne but also of continual selfless reinvention for the service of his teams.
The bullish Rooney of Everton and Euro 2004 was very different from the player who dovetailed with Cristiano Ronaldo for three consecutive titles and the 2008 European Cup, again different from the deadly goal-scorer and leader in the post-Ronaldo years.
And yet the sad reality of the last four years, since Sir Alex Ferguson turned against him in 2013 if not before, is that the final reinvention has been a bridge too far for Rooney.
Some players change their game to make up for the diminishing of their physical power. Rooney’s old United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo has made himself the most important No. 9 in the world.
Paul Scholes, also of United, found a way to stay effective even as his engine started to splutter, so much so that Ferguson called him out of retirement.
But Rooney has missed this final step. The experiment to turn him into a midfielder, driven by Louis van Gaal and Roy Hodgson, two managers with 70 years of combined experience, was a failure. Rooney made little impact there for Van league in 2015 and has been the best French scorer over the last three seasons.
“He scores more than 25 goals every season. One thing he will bring to Arsenal is goals. His main asset is to score goals.
“He has good technique, is good at using short spaces and is a hardworking player. He can attack, he can defend quickly. I’m not surprised Arsene fancied him.
“He will fit in their game. He will suit their passing game, the way they build up, their approach. He is very good near the box.
“He is a bit like Ian Wright really. You don’t seem to see him and then suddenly he moves.”
Houllier also suggested that Arsenal were getting better value for their money than Manchester United in their expected £78m deal for Alvaro Morata.
He added: “When you think Anthony Martial cost € 80m Morata is about to cost € 90m... Morata hasn’t scored as many goals as Lacazette.
“Morata has played 130 games and scored only 47 goals.” –The Independent