Arsenal have set their sights on Odsonne Edouard as the desired replacement for Alexandre Lacazette, who has been linked with a move to Atletico Madrid.
According to a report by Daily Mail, Arsenal are bracing themselves for the departure of Alexandre Lacazette. The star striker has been courted by Atletico Madrid, who are looking to take advantage of his strained relationship with Mikel Arteta to strike a deal. The Frenchman could, in fact, be a part of the club’s January clearout, following the footsteps of Mesut Ozil and Sead Kolasinac.
The report from Daily Mail further adds that the Gunners have already set their sights on Odsonne Edouard as a potential replacement for Lacazette. The club was linked with the Celtic striker in the summer as well, but a move failed to materialise due to the financial crisis inflicted by the pandemic.
However, the north London giants are now determined to undergo a squad overhaul following a poor start to the campaign. They have already recovered a sizable wage budget by releasing Mesut Ozil and Sead Kolasinac this month. In addition, fringe players like Sokratis and Shkodran Mustafi have been linked with a move away from the Emirates, with the latter primed to join Hertha Berlin.
The further departure of another star player like Lacazette could surely pave the way for Arsenal to fund a move for Edouard. Arteta’s decision to offload the Frenchman this month could be slightly surprising, though, as the striker is the most in-form player at the club currently.
In fact, Lacazette is the club’s top-scorer this season with seven league goals, four of which have come in the past four matches. His recent contributions in front of goal have been critical in helping the Gunners to spark a recovery, especially at a time when other forwards like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Nicolas Pepe were struggling to perform.
Nevertheless, the potential arrival of Edouard could be an exciting prospect for Arsenal for multiple reasons. The Celtic forward has shown a lot of promise in the Scottish Premiership and has notably netted a whopping 72 goals in just 151 competitive appearances for the Hoops.
His technical ability, combined with his lethal finishing and versatility should make the Frenchman a tailor-made replacement for Lacazette. A move to Arsenal should also open up an ideal opportunity for Edouard to contest for a place in the French national side for the upcoming Euros, providing he can light up the Premier League during the second half of the campaign.
