‘Lacazette is just a goalscoring machine'

Nobody in our first-team squad knows Alexandre Lacazette better than Francis Coquelin.

Both regulars for France’s youth teams, Lacazette scored the winner as the duo won the European Under-19 Championship in 2010, and Coquelin says he will be a big goal threat in north London too.

“I’ve known him for a very long time,” the midfielder told Arsenal Player. “We played together for the youth national team so I know him very well. I’m really happy he’s come to the club. He’s a real asset and a goalscoring machine. 

“He scored 37 goals in all competition last season, so he’s shown that he’s a very, very good goalscorer. I think he’s the fourth all-time leading goalscorer for Lyon, after scoring about 130 goals for the club. I’m really happy to have him in the team.

“He can do pretty much everything because he’s someone who likes to get on the ball too. He likes to run in behind the defences that’s something he’s good at and, like I said, he’s a goalscorer. Even in Europe, it’s very difficult to find someone who can score 25 or 30 goals. If he can do that, it will be very special for the club and for the team.

“I’ve never seen someone coming on and scoring so many goals. I’ve seen him come on and score a hat-trick in 20 minutes. He shows that he doesn’t joke in front of the goal, he does the business and that’s what we need.”