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Did Arsenal Just Make A Big Gamble With Their £46.5m Signing? Will The Frenchman Be Able To Break The Curse?

Can Lacazette Break Arsenal’s ‘Number 9’ Curse After A Much Hyped Move To London?

Arsene Wenger has been a busy man since the end of the previous season as he is looking to make some top class additions to his squad for the new season. The manager has added a defender in Sead Kolasinac but was desperate for some attacking talent to improve their productivity in front of goal.

Having scouted him for several years, the Gunners were finally able to land French goal scoring machine Alexandre Lacazette this summer for £46.5m. Though Atletico Madrid was his preferred destination, the AS Lyon striker could not move to Spain, thanks to a transfer ban, which played into the hands of Arsenal who made Lacazette their record signing.

His goal scoring record in Ligue1 is more than just impressive and if he can replicate the form in his first season in England, Lacazette will be able to help Arsenal throw a title challenge next season. But if the history at the club is anything to go by, the 26-year old has a few demons to avoid at the Emirates next season.

The Gunners decided to strip Spanish international Lucas Perez of ‘Number 9’ to hand it over to Lacazette, and though it is the right kit number of his role, it is a number that the French international should have rather avoided.

Arsene Wenger has managed some of the finest teams at Arsenal in his time at the club but he has not been able to get the best of every big name player he brought to the club to take the number 9 jersey in the squad.

As it is known commonly, ‘the number 9 curse’ at Arsenal could have a huge say in how Lacazette will fare in his debut season in the Premier League. The likes of Paul Merson, Nicolas Anelka, Davor Suker, Francis Jeffers, Antonio Reyes, Julio Baptista, Eduardo Silva, Park Chu-Young, Lukas Podolski and Lucas Perez have been the owners of this shirt number since Wenger took over at the club. Literally, none of them were able to realise their potential in England, leaving Arsenal a bit weak in attack. While all the players mentioned above were extremely talented and hyped, some reason or the other saw them fail at Arsenal.

Take Anelka for that case. The man was a phenomenon when he arrived. He would have easily become a club legend had he stayed with Arsenal. Such was his potential. But after just one year of working with Wenger, he decided to leave.

The second case would be Eduardo Silva. What a goal scoring season he was having when Arsenal were cruising towards the league title. In came a tackle out of nowhere and he was stretchered off with a broken leg. Horrific scenes, to be honest! Had he stayed fit, Arsenal would probably have gone on to win the title with the way he was playing that season. Somehow, it was not the case to be.

Irrespective of the form and the goal scoring exploits of those players, they were, for some reason, primed to fail at Arsenal. Or, to put it forward in a sensible way, Arsenal have never benefited from their ‘Number 9’.

Lacazette is slightly more proven and has all the attributes to excel in the Premier League. He is strong and smart, while his technique is impeccable. His finishing is what that attracted Wenger, and playing alongside the likes of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez (if he stays), he is sure to continue his good work from the previous season.

He is well equipped to break ‘the number 9 curse’ at the Emirates but he will have to be at his best, to make sure that Arsenal no longer carry the curse in the upcoming years.

Lacazette is probably the best bet after someone like Anelka, to break the so called ‘curse’ and there is every chance that he might succeed in doing so.