Lacazette can be fox in the box that Wenger requires

IN the shadows of a high-rise tower block on the outskirts of Lyon city centre, you will find the spiritual home of Arsenal’s marquee summer signing Alexandre Lacazette. The £52million striker’s family can still be found on the 13th-floor flat of the building but endless hours of Lacazette’s childhood were spent just across the road at the youth club L’Elan Sportif. Here, Lacazette would be found on the clay or astro-turf pitches outside. The Frenchman lived with his parents until the age of 23 and still frequently returns to the neighbourhood. ‘His heart is here,’ says Jean-Pierre Parsi, who coached Lacazette between the age of six and 11. In one season at Elan, he scored 122 goals despite often playing from central midfield. His parents, Alfred and Rose, are descendants from the former French colony of Guadeloupe, while Lacazette speaks every day with his three older brothers. ‘They are an incredibly close family,’ adds Parsi. ‘The father got involved with the club and was always on the touchline. It was clear from the start that Alex had a talent beyond his peers. He combined power with finesse from the first time I clasped eyes on him.’ At the age of 26, Lacazette has now fled the nest and will likely be Arsenal’s most significant signing this summer. He will make his debut at Wembley today against Chelsea and, as uncertainty persists over the futures of Alexis Sanchez and Olivier Giroud, the spotlight will turn more acutely on the French forward. The move broke the club’s transfer record — set in 2013 when Arsenal paid £42.5m for Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid. For Arsene Wenger (above), it is the culmination of a 10-year pursuit that began when his scout and ex-defender Gilles Grimandi began observing Lacazette as a 16-year-old.

For the player, there have been peaks and troughs. When Lyon spent pre-season in New York in 2013, he was reminded of his potential by Arsenal legend Thierry Henry.

‘Thierry shook me up,’ admits Lacazette. ‘He told me I always have to keep working on myself, which we can sometimes forget when we are young.

‘When a player like Thierry speaks, you can’t ignore what he’s telling you. I realised that to be a great player meant permanent hard work. Someone like him always wanted to improve, even with the career he had.’

This summer, Wenger felt the time had come and he finally secured his man.

Had events transpired differently, Lacazette’s arrival into English football may have been more traumatic.

In 2016, as Steve McClaren’s Newcastle battled relegation, the Tyneside club made a bid for him. Lyon refused to consider an offer, despite Newcastle being prepared to pay in excess of £25m.

Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas then claimed last August that West Ham came in with a bid worth £42m. As it turned out, West Ham ended up with Simone Zaza.

Having avoided a descent into the Championship, Lacazette hit his best form and scored 37 goals in 45 games for Lyon in a devastating last campaign.

He decided to leave his hometown club last winter but his expected move to Atletico Madrid fell through when the Spanish side were hit by a transfer ban.

Now 26, Lacazette is entering his peak. He harbours World Cup ambitions and, at Arsenal, he now has a huge platform.