1 May 2015

Transfer Latest: 'World-class' £35m goal-machine wanted by Liverpool confirms he'll 'play for Lyon' next year

Last month, Liverpool scouts flew to France to watch Lyon goalscorer Alexander Lacazette in action, and with the Reds heavily pursuing the prolific French striker, is there any chance of actually sealing a deal?

In April, Le 10 Sport claimed that:

* Liverpool scouts watched Lacazette in Lyon's 3-1 against Guingamp.

* Arsenal, Tottenham, Newcastle, PSG and AC Milan are also interested in signing the striker.

Liverpool have been constantly linked with a move for £35m-rated Lacazette this year, but when asked on Thursday about Premier League interest, the striker appeared to rule out the possibility of a move. He told reporters:

"I do not know what will happen, but at the moment I can say that I will play for Lyon next year."

Lyon chairman Jean-Michel Aulas has dismissed the possibility of a deal. In a recent interview, he insisted:

"Impossible. He [Lacazette] will be with us at the Stade des Lumieres and in the Champions League [next season]"

That seems emphatic, but the key phrase in Lacazette's statement is 'at the moment, which basically gives him leeway to make a decision in the summer. Indeed, in February, the striker mused:

"If the club needs to transfer me, I will leave. It's just reality. We must qualify for the Champions League and then we'll see for sure that next season I want to play the Champions League"

With 38 goals/assists in 37 games, Lacazette - recently described as 'world-class' but ex-Reds boss Gerard Houller - is achieving excellent creative stats this season, and given his speed, mobility, and finishing ability, he'd clearly be a logical signing for Liverpool.

Steve Nicol seems to think so, and in a January interview with ESPN, he insisted that Lacazette 'fits the mould that Liverpool are looking for', and strongly urged his old club to pursue the striker:

“Liverpool have an opportunity to sign this guy [Lacazette] and I think they should. He loves to go forward [and] score goals and he reminds me of [Luis] Suarez. I think this would be a superb signing".

Is Lacazette worth £35m? It's hard to ignore his incredible strike-rate this season, and with Daniel Sturridge no longer a reliable option, Liverpool need a new number one striker, but £35m is a risky proposition. That said, £35m on Lacazette is far easier to swallow that the same amount on Andy Carroll (!)

On a related note: Unlike Sterling, Ings, and several other players, Lacazette's form has not tailed-off amid heavy transfer speculation, which indicates that he has the mental toughness to set aside external events and just focus on what he's paid to do: score goals.

This is a great quality to have, and suggests that Lacazette has the right mentality to thrive in the Premier League.

Author: Jaimie K


17 comments:

  1. Not worth 35£million and FSG have shown they will not spend big to attract the best.
    We in trouble

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  2. 35M for Carroll, 25M for Lallana, 22.8M for Suarez, 20M for Lovren, 20M for Markovic.

    FSG has spent big, although the transfer comitee has been quite a failure (which is their fault) we can't blame them for not spending the money the club generate because they are.

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  3. Stan Dinaround4:36 pm, May 01, 2015

    I would love this bloke to come and lead the line, but we've known for some time now that he would be staying put.. Lyon is his boyhood club, he stayed last season because he wanted to be the main man, and now he wants to stay because he wants to play CL with the club he loves...

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  4. Stan Dinaround4:37 pm, May 01, 2015

    They definately are, shame really....They should concentrate less on the amount, and more on the quality.

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  5. they have already sack some scout, so hopefully other people will follow.

    Bringing a manager who has proven to be smart on the transfer market could be also a step in the right direction.

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  6. Stan Dinaround5:14 pm, May 01, 2015

    Let me guess, this scout was sending in his expenses etc, and was eventually caught using Fifa 15 to do his scouting instead...

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  7. Would be a nice signing with depay and holding midfielder and a right back, we'd have a fairly solid squad then

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  8. It was fifa 14.

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  9. Stan Dinaround5:49 pm, May 01, 2015

    No wonder he failed so spectacularly

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  10. As much as I would love him he is out of our league.


    Simple fact is if he became available we simply could not compete with other teams who are in the CL.

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  11. FSG have shown they will not spend.. do you even watch football?

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  12. Hate to burst bubbles people but he is worth exactly what a club is willing to pay for him.if he's made available & it starts a bidding war & he is sold for £50mil then that is what his value is.

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  13. Lacazzette! YES PLEASE!!!!! problem is LFC have more "links" thasn a sausage factory, so its impossible to believe anything these days...

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  14. Meh, he's not coming anyway.

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  15. If 35 million is what it takes for Lyon to start talking then so be it, Lacazette appears to be the most ideal striker for our team. He has a very similar style to Suarez in terms of guile, unpredictability and sheer number of goals. I'm not saying he is definitely the answer but for me he seems to be the best candidate. We should go all out for him I say.

    I think most fans (including me) would be over the moon if we got Lacazette along with Depay and Kondogbia. FSG and Rodgers would surely be applauded for their transfer dealings then.

    What would be interesting is fan reaction if we did get them but this time next year their impact had been poor? I remember many fans stating that we had recruited very well indeed last summer, best transfer windows in years I heard. However it doesn't take too long before fans turn eh, many of them suffering with severe memory loss and slating FSG, Rodgers or the transfer committee at any opportunity.

    So let's remember that transfers and player recruitment may look good on paper at the time but there is no guarantee with any signing......... that said let go get Lacazette :)

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  16. Tom Werner stated we can compete financially with anyone for player purchases. ....we'll see shall we?

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  17. There are so many good players available in the market. We must and can get at least one of Depay, Vietto or Lacazette.

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