Arsenal coach Unai Emery has revealed how French hotshot, Alexandre Lacazette almost joined him at PSG and instead went to Arsenal.
Emery was PSG’s coach from 2016 to 2018 and said that he wanted to buy Lacazette, but was blocked due to the rivalry with Lyon.
Speaking ahead of the Gunners’ game against Leicester city, Emery said: “When I arrived at PSG we were thinking about signing Lacazette,”
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“He was at Lyon and it wasn’t easy to have the conversation or to sign a player from Lyon or for Lyon from PSG.”
Lacazette found things a little difficult in his first season in England but even so still managed 17 goals.
He is now starting in his favoured position of his friend and colleague, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang.
Speaking on how well their relationship is going, Emery said: “Now we are speaking together with Laca every day,
“Last year was his first year in the Premier League, it was a different league to the French League, a different position for him, a different rhythm.
“Not a different mentality, though, because he has a very good mentality and he gives himself very good chances to score. He is very efficient.
“But he needs to continue his adaptation to us, to the Premier League and to its rhythm.
“And this year we are looking at one step more in this level from last year.
Emery added on Lacazette: “We are very happy but my message to him is: ‘Every day, don’t stop. Don’t stop in training, don’t stop in matches’.
“He must carry on to find his best performance, not just in matches but in each minute of the 90 minutes and he has to keep on doing that.
“I believe in him — and in the other players — but in his characteristics, we need him to keep feeling well with his role in the team and with his quality.”