Arsenal cult hero, 32, in line for shock role at Olympic Games with Thierry Henry ready to call him up to France team
FORMER Arsenal Alexandre Lacazette is “on the list” to play a surprise role at the Olympic Games for Thierry Henry.
Lacazette, 32, has been capped 16 times by France during his career and scored three times for his country.
However, he has not represented Les Bleus for SEVEN YEARS – but that could change at Paris 2024.
Lacazette left Arsenal for Lyon in 2022 and he has been in sensational form for them since with 42 goals in 60 matches in the top-flight.
Despite his prowess, his team were in the relegation zone after 16 games this term until Pierre Sage took over as manager.
But Lacazette has fired eight goals since the turn of 2024 as the strugglers climbed up the table.
That form could be about to land the hitman a shot at winning a gold medal for his country.
Arsenal legend Thierry Henry is the manager of France’s U21 side and will be in charge of the team that enter the Olympics this summer on home turf.
He holds grand ambitions of being able to include Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann and Olivier Giroud in his squad.
And now Henry assistant, another ex-Arsenal ace in Gael Clichy, has told Telefoot that Lyon skipper Lacazette is also on the list.
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He said: “I see that he has a lot of playing time, I see that he is decisive and above all I see that he is a captain. He is a part of this list.
“Inevitably, there will be some surprises.”
Lacazette spent five years playing in London for Arsenal and scored 71 goals in 206 games under Arsene Wenger, Unai Emery and Mikel Arteta.
He lifted the FA Cup in 2020 with the Gunners but returned to Lyon in 2022 after leaving them for the Emirates in 2017.
The star recently admitted how he was left shocked by the lack of facilities for young footballers in England.
He said: “One thing that surprised me in London: there is no ground where you can play football for free.”
And he also hit back at those critics that claimed he has “finished”.
Lacazette added: ““Many people thought I was finished.
“They were saying that I wouldn’t succeed, that the club was making a mistake.
“I wanted to show that Lyon were right in calling on me.”
Mikel Arteta's striker shopping list
By Jordan Davies
ARSENAL are stepping up plans to sign a world-class striker in the summer after their Champions League heartbreak.
Mikel Arteta splashed out £204.5m last summer on Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber.
But the Spanish manager accepts he needs a proven goalscorer to take the club to the next level.
And here are the players he is looking at to get the Gunners firing:
BENJAMIN SESKO (RB Leipzig, value £40m-£45m)
One for the future at 20 years old. Scored 16 goals for RB Salzburg in the Austrian Bundesliga last season and the Slovenian has carried on that good form in Germany with Leipzig this campaign.
VIKTOR GYOKERES (Sporting Lisbon, value £60m-£80m)
Been scouted several times this season. The Swedish striker, 25, is more of a traditional No 9 so may not suit Arsenal’s demand for flexibility but would bring a physicality that boss Mikel Arteta craves.
ALEXANDER ISAK (Newcastle, value £75m-£85m)
Impressed in his first two seasons in English football. The Swede, 24, has the pace and finesse to match his finishing ability, and Eddie Howe’s Toon may need to sell to balance the books this summer.
JOSHUA ZIRKZEE (Bologna, value £45m-£50m)
Dutch wonder is attracting the attentions of clubs across Europe. At 6ft 4in the 22-year-old forward would have no trouble adapting to the Premier League and already has an eye for goal.
XAVI SIMONS (RB Leipzig, value £70m-£80m)
An incredible talent in the Bukayo Saka mould, currently on loan from Paris Saint-Germain. The future of the Dutch attacker, 20, depends on how much money his parent club want to make from him.