Mikel Arteta’s transfer business as Arsenal manager has been excellent – as managing to sign players such as Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Martin Odegaard have given the club an ideal chance to end their Premier League title drought this season.
Of course, not every signing has worked out quite how Arteta would have wanted. The likes of Cedric Soares and Willian perhaps failed to live up to expectations during their stints at the Gunners, while the jury is still out on Albert Sambi Lokonga following an underwhelming start to life at the Emirates.
But one of Arteta’s biggest mistakes so far in terms of transfer business is arguably letting striker Alexandre Lacazette go for free last summer, especially considering the club’s attacking crisis after Christmas and his resurgence at Lyon.
How much is Alexandre Lacazette worth now?
The Frenchman joined the Gunners in the summer of 2017 for a then-club record £46.5m from Lyon, and was looked upon as the striker Arsene Wenger badly needed in order to mount a serious title challenge.
This was a player who had scored 37 goals the previous campaign and was one of the most sought-after strikers in Europe, so landing him was arguably a major coup for Arsenal.
His time at the north London side was successful in terms of goals scored, netting 71 in just over 200 matches, while also chipping in with 36 assists, showcasing his abilities as not only a pure out-and-out striker, but one who could link up well with teammates and create plenty of chances.
His exploits even led Charles Watts to describe him as “magnificent” in 2020, and although his final campaign saw the 31-year-old score just four league goals, it was perhaps time for him to move on, leaving for free when his contract expired at the end of the season.
Has it been a mistake, however? Lacazette has returned to form this term, scoring 21 goals in just 30 matches back at Lyon, and with Arsenal suffering a crisis in terms of attacking options when Gabriel Jesus was injured at the World Cup, they could have done with the Frenchman’s services.
Indeed, since his move away from England, Football Transfers has now valued the player at €18.6m (£16m) and if his goalscoring form continues, that value may well increase.
Arteta may have suffered a rare howler on the striker, and although Jesus has been an inspired signing, keeping hold of Lacazette may have been the better choice rather than letting him leave for nothing.