Having swapped France for north London in the summer of 2000, Robert Pires knows more than most how Alexandre Lacazette may be feeling right now.
The jump from Ligue 1 to the Premier League may be a challenge, but the legendary forward is convinced his compatriot will thrive in England.
“Lacazette is a like a warrior, he loves to fight, he loves to run, he has a very good spirit,” Pires told Arsenal Player. “He can learn quickly because he works every day with great players, so that’s why he’s very important and I’m sure Alex Lacazette can help Arsenal to win something at the end of the season.
“If you want to click you need a very good feeling, for example for me it was easy to play with Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira or Sylvain Wiltord, it was the French connection. It’s the same for Alex Lacazette because on the team they have a lot of French players like Giroud, Laurent Koscielny, Francis Coquelin, these guys can help Lacazette reach a high level.
“Of course, I think the most important for the players is the manager. Everybody knows Arsene Wenger is French, so that’s why Alex Lacazette can have a very good feeling.
“I know Alex Lacazette is very confident, he believes always in himself. He wants to work for the team, he knows it’s very difficult because Arsenal have a big competition [for places], they have big strikers like Olivier Giroud, like Danny Welbeck, so it is very competitive between the strikers. But I think Alex is good and I’m very happy because Arsenal have spent a lot of money for a great striker.”
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