It’s still good to be a Gooner

From their goal-hungry strike duo to Guendouzi’s wild barnet, it’s not all bad up the Arsenal

1 AUBAMEYANG AND LACAZETTE ARE THE LEAGUE’S BEST STRIKE PARTNERSHIP

“Where is Auba?!” shouts Alexandre Lacazette, his baritone echoing around an unseasonably chilly indoor pitch at Arsenal’s training ground. Nacho Monreal, Sead Kolasinac and Mesut Ozil look up from their game of keepy-uppy beside a gold-painted throne. Alex Iwobi and Henrikh Mkhitaryan stop shooting into a six-a-side net.

Wrapped in a floor-length navy padded jacket, Lacazette is awaiting Pierre-emerick Aubameyang for their joint slot in front of the Fourfourtwo cameras at the Gunners’ new kit launch. He shrugs at his team-mates dotted about the pitch. They all double over, laughing. Does this sort of thing happen a lot, then? “All the time,” laughs Lacazette. “He’s never actually late for things, but he always arrives at the last moment. Just as the bus is about to pull away, that’s when he’ll finally arrive.”

Seconds later, Aubameyang appears on cue, sprinting across the arena towards his BFF.

This is a genuine bromance. They visit each other’s houses and have dinner together with their families. Today, they’re wowing London with their trainers. Auba’s are silver, with what look like stuck-on sweets, while Laca’s are cartoon-inspired high-tops.

“Those two are like Tom and Jerry or the Chuckle Brothers,” a laughing Iwobi had told FFT earlier. “We’re serious about our football, but that atmosphere helps us relax.”

They’re good, too. Very good. Aubameyang and Lacazette scored 50 of Arsenal’s 112 goals in all competitions in 2018-19, with the former claiming a share of the Premier League Golden Boot and the latter also contributing 13 assists and being named the club’s Player of the Year.

Sure, the season ended badly, a 5th-place finish being followed by a chastening Europa League final defeat to Chelsea, but with these two at Arsenal, there’s hope of another trophy challenge and a return to the Champions League. Premier League defenders fear the dynamic duo, as Aubameyang’s finishing combines with Lacazette’s ability to hold up the ball, link play and find the net himself.

That it works is obvious. But, as we meet the pair before that Europa League final setback, what FFT wants to know is how it works.

So, guys, how did your friendship develop? PEA: What, the bromance with this guy here?! [Both laugh like teenagers] I don’t think we’d actually talked to each other before. We were opponents in one of France’s biggest rivalries. AL: I was at Lyon; he was at Saint-etienne. We met in a League Cup game in 2011. He scored. PEA: He was a really good striker, but I had no hate towards him – a few of his team-mates, maybe, but Laca was cool. I came to Arsenal and there he was. It was good to see him.

What were your first impressions of each other here? PEA: It was love at first sight! [Laughs] The day I arrived, back in January 2018, he came straight up to me and said, “I hope we’ll play together.” I said, “I hope so, too” as I knew we could form a really good partnership and help each other score goals. AL: I was really happy when Auba arrived, because I knew what a great striker he was. He was the kind of player I joined Arsenal to play with. At first, people were saying, “Hey, he’s coming to take your place”, but I always knew we could play together.

How do things work on the pitch? PEA: We’re both centre-forwards and that’s the best place for us – to play as a pair. It’s rare these days for teams to play with two strikers and I think it gives Arsenal something extra compared with other teams. Obviously, it’s up to the coach what he wants to do, but we love playing like this. AL: We have a very good understanding. We talk a lot away from the pitch and that helps us when we step out there for a game. I know the things he’ll try to do – the way he’s going to move – and he knows the same about me.

Go on, then, Auba... PEA: My biggest strength is my quick runs; Laca’s… wow. He’s got a lot. He’s not so tall, but he’s very, very strong and you can’t get the ball off him. He’s so powerful. But there are always things to improve. I can improve my heading. Actually, so can he! [Laughs]

You’re clearly very close. How does that help in forming a successful partnership? AL: It all happened pretty quickly. Even when he first came, we talked a lot. I knew he’s the kind of guy I want to hang out with, because we had a few mutual friends. When he arrived, I tried to help him settle in here. PEA: It’s not like we’re inseparable, but we do see a lot of each other. We go out for dinner regularly. Our families know each other well. It began just by being around each other at the club and training every day, and it developed from there. It’s so good to have him around. AL: It all came very naturally. People think he is a flashy guy, but when you get to know him you see a simple man with good values who is always looking to help out his friends.

Tell us about the handshake celebration... AL: [Laughs] There’s no big story there. It was something we came up with in the moment when we scored at Cardiff. PEA: Honestly, it just came naturally to us. We were looking at each other, and then we did this handshake and a bow. [They practise with each other] I still don’t know why. I guess it was just... I see him: respect. And now it has become our celebration.

How has this season been for you overall? AL: It’s been positive. We had a new coach with a new approach, and I think I’ve played well – better than in the previous season. And we’ve played bigger, more important games. PEA: It’s so important to win something. This is a great club, which has a very long history of winning important trophies, so it’s time we won something big again. There was the FA Cup a couple of years ago, but now we have to aspire to more. We have a strong mentality to always move forward after any setback.

Just how important is a return to playing Champions League football? PEA: That has to be the main target of every Arsenal season. You come back to training and that’s what everyone is thinking about. We’re hungry to hear that song once again. It’s time. We have the quality to do it, so we have to make sure we do it. AL: Yeah, a club like Arsenal has to be playing in the Champions League every season. We will start to think about winning the biggest titles in a few seasons, but first we need to make sure we are in the Champions League consistently again.

Finally, which of you has the best moves? AL: I think we’re about the same, to be honest. We don’t have dance competitions or anything like that, but whenever Auba’s dancing in the dressing room... [Alex Iwobi wanders by and says, “Oh, Auba is definitely a better dancer…” Aubameyang and Lacazette both laugh] PEA: Well, thank you Alex. [Laughs] But I think we’re about the same, and Alex is pretty good as well. I’ve always practised and worked on my moves, though, listening to hip-hop. That’s my thing, man, you know?