Kevin Campbell urges Arsenal to keep Alexandre Lacazette

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Former Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell has suggested to Stadium Astro on YouTube that Mikel Arteta might be better off keeping Alexandre Lacazette this summer.

The French striker has been linked with a move to Atletico Madrid this summer (Sport), with the Spanish boss keen to reshape his squad ahead of the new campaign.

Lacazette cost the Gunners £46.5 million when he signed from Lyon in 2017 and since his arrival, he has bagged 48 goals in 127 appearances.

Campbell is a man who knows all about leading the line for Arsenal and he thinks Lacazette should perhaps be kept around next season.

He told Stadium Astro on YouTube: “I like Lacazette, I really like him. I think having a midfield, a defensive shield can play a significant part because the problem with Arsenal has been whenever they lose the ball, teams have been cutting through them too easy. I would keep him.

“These days, it’s a squad game. We’re talking about a front there, Martinelli is injured but he looked lively last season. All of a sudden, you think ‘hold on a minute, Arsenal have got some decent players.'”

Arsenal boss Arteta has been relatively loyal to his players since his arrival and in fairness, Lacazette is a bit of an enigma.

On his day, he is capable of scoring goals and last season he managed to bag 12, despite some Gunners fans not really fancying him.

Decision time

Given what Arsenal paid for him it might prove a decent idea to stick with the 29-year-old, rather than offload him and then risk being short themselves.

One beauty of selling him, however, would be the money which they might be able to recoup.

Although they might have to take a hit on the transfer fee in terms of what they paid for him, his departure would get £182,000-a-week (Spotrac) off the club’s wage budget.