MX23RW : Monday, November 25 02:12:53| >> :120:18567:18567:

Alexandre Lacazette: 'Francis Coquelin persuaded me to join Arsenal'

Lacazette: 'Coquelin persuaded me to join'
© SilverHub
Arsenal's record signing Alexandre Lacazette insists that it became "increasingly likely" that he would join the club after his move to Atletico Madrid collapsed.

Alexandre Lacazette has revealed that former international teammate Francis Coquelin helped convince him to seal his record-breaking switch to Arsenal.

The 26-year-old became the Gunners' most expensive ever recruit when joining for £52m on Wednesday afternoon, bringing an end to his prolific spell with Lyon that saw him net 129 times in 275 appearances.

Lacazette made no secret of his desire to join Atletico Madrid earlier in the window, only for the Spanish club to see their transfer ban upheld, but he has been told that he will not regret linking up with former France Under-19s teammate Coquelin at Arsenal.

"Francis and I kept in touch," the London Evening Standard quotes him as saying. "We've had a lot of contact over the last few years and even more over the last few weeks, of course, since it became increasingly likely that I would come to Arsenal.

"He has said only good things about Arsenal, which is not surprising because he wanted me to join the club. Even without that I still really wanted to come here.

"He stressed that it was a great club located in a fantastic city. He said I would not regret my decision to move here because of the people I'd be working with and, of course, the fans."

Lacazette and Coquelin won the European Under-19 Championship together for Les Bleus in 2010.

ID:302036: cacheID:302036:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2417:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger during the Premier League match against Southampton on May 10, 2017
Read Next:
Arsenal maintain interest in Jankto?
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool1210112481631
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
10Fulham125341717018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd124441313016
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Ipswich TownIpswich121651323-109
19Crystal Palace121561017-78
20Southampton121110924-154


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!