Alexander Lacazette

Should the Frenchman get a new contract or not? That is probably a debate for another blog to delve deeper into.

Last summer I always felt that only one of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang or Lacazette would get a deal.

Financially it made sense for Aubameyang to get the deal and Lacazette to be sold.

With 2 years left on his deal and 2 years junior; Lacazette would raise more important transfer funds.

Injury to Gabriel Martinelli – who would have acted as Aubameyang’s deputy – led to Lacazette staying last summer.

Roll forward 12 months and Aubameyang has had a horrendous season whilst Lacazette has stood up as a leader.

So do the club give Lacazette a new contract? Does it make sense to keep both him and Aubameyang? Could Aubameyang leave this summer? And what promises has Florian Balogun been given?

Eddie Nketiah will likely leave. I would expect Arsenal to get £15m+ for him. Some important transfer funds.

That would leave Arsenal with 4 first team strikers in Lacazette, Aubameyang, Martinelli and Balogun.

One of the two senior boys will surely be gone this summer?

Joe Willock

Another goal yesterday for Joe Willock on loan at Newcastle. I am pleased for the lad.

Few people have been saying we should “bring him back” and “should never have let him go”, but the loan move was exactly the right thing for his career and what he needed.

Joe has been in and out of the Arsenal team now for a couple of years. Never really doing enough to deserve a run of consistent starts.

And then Emile Smith Rowe broke through this season and began putting in performances levels ahead of Joe.

Willock will have a good Premier League career.

His work rate and ability to ghost in the box will prove an asset for lower-mid table teams. But ultimately he does not have that little bit extra to make it at Arsenal if we want to chase a Champions League spot.

Joe’s good form proves that he is a Premier League quality player, and I am sure someone like Newcastle, or other similar level teams such as West Ham or Leeds would look at bidding £15m+ for him.

Important funds raised that can be invested elsewhere.

Fulham Team News

Arsenal will still be without Martin Odegaard an Aubameyang for today’s game against Fulham.

Aubameyang is still suffering the affects of malaria, whilst Odergaard is still recovering from an ankle injury.

David Luiz and Kieran Tierney are both still out as they recover from knee injuries.

Everyone else is fit.

Keenos