Arsenal's Lacazette eager to move past last season's struggles

The France international joined Arsenal for a club record fee last year but had an underwhelming campaign, scoring 17 goals in 39 appearances across all competitions, leading to criticism from a section of pundits and fans.

Arsenal's Lacazette eager to move past last season's struggles

(Reuters)





"I don't care how people judge me," Lacazette told Football London. "I know if I stay in Arsenal the club is happy and my team-mates as well. This is the most important thing.

"It (last season) has finished and for me it's the past. OK, when I didn't score, of course I was frustrated but it's finished. It was my first season so I can't be too hard on myself, even if I wanted to score more goals.

"I've learnt from this and now I am happy to start a new season."

Arsenal recruited Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund in January, with many seeing the move as an indication of Lacazette's poor form, but the 27-year-old has dismissed the notion and denies a rivalry with his fellow forward.

"I never said it (Aubameyang's arrival) was bad for me, only people in the press said it was bad," Lacazette he said. "I was happy because I knew I could play with him.

"I didn't see him as a rival, more like a team-mate, so since the beginning I was happy about his signature."

Both Lacazette and Aubameyang have impressed for Arsenal in pre-season and will be hoping to continue their form as the north London outfit host champions Manchester City in their opening league match on Aug. 12.





(Reporting by Aditi Prakash in Bengaluru)


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: Reuters


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world