Alexandre Lacazette has re-joined his boyhood club Olympique Lyonnais on a three-year deal, the club confirmed on May 8. The striker departed Arsenal upon the expiration of his contract at the end of the 2021/22 season.
The Frenchman left Lyon to sign for Arsenal in the summer of 2017 for a staggering 60 million euros. Now 31, he returns to the club on a free transfer, after deciding to run down his contract at the Emirates.
Arsenal confirmed Lacazette’s departure through an official release on June 3, 2022 – days before his return to Lyon was confirmed. The forward spoke highly of the club in his exit interview, claiming that representing the Gunners was a dream come true for him.
“I want to keep all the good moments I had in the club, because for me it was just a pleasure to play for a club that, since I was young, I dreamt of. I’m really happy to have played for five years for Arsenal.
There’s a board at the stadium with all the winners’ names on, and in my first season I told my dad that one day I would be on it. So I’m really proud I made it,”
he said.
Lacazette’s stay at the Emirates spanned over five seasons. In four of those five seasons, the Frenchman scored over ten goals, helping Arsenal lift an FA Cup and an FA Community Shield.
However, Mikel Arteta’s altered role for him within the team drastically reduced his output in his final season at the club; his goal return stood at a measly six from 36 appearances, his worst seasonal tally for the Gunners during his time at the club.
With Lacazette gone, Arsenal will reportedly focus on signing a new centre-forward this summer. Multiple reports claim that Arteta and Co eye Manchester City’s Gabriel Jesus as their primary target. The Brazilian’s contract expires in 2023 and is attracting interest from several other top clubs, too.
Meanwhile, Sassuolo’s Gianluca Scamacca has also been mentioned as a potential target, as have Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Real Sociedad’s Alexander Isak previously.
