Arsenal have announced that Alexandre Lacazette will depart the club when his contract expires at the end of the month, thus ending the Frenchman's five-year stay in north London.
As previously reported by football.london, the striker had been expected to leave the Gunners when his contract expires on June 30 as unlike Mohamed Elneny and Eddie Nketiah he wasn't offered an extension and news of his imminent exit was confirmed on Friday afternoon (June 3).
A statement via Arsenal's official website reads: "Alex Lacazette will be leaving us at the end of his current contract, which runs until June 30. Since joining us from Lyon in July 2017, Laca made 206 appearances in all competitions, scoring 71 goals.
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"The 31-year-old was our top scorer in two seasons during his time with us - in 2017/18, and also in 2020/21, when he scored his 50th Premier League goal in the win over Sheffield United in April 2021. That moved the French striker into the all-time top ten of goalscorers for us in Premier League history – scoring his first goal just 94 seconds into his league debut, against Leicester City, in August 2017.
"Laca was an FA Cup winner with us in 2020, was in our FA Community Shield winning team in 2017 and was voted the Arsenal Player of the Season for 2018/19. Before joining us, Laca had played all his club football for his hometown club Lyon, scoring exactly 100 goals in Ligue 1 during his seven years in the French club’s first team.
"Thank you, Laca, we wish you all the best for the next chapter in your career."
In addition, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and technical director Edu had some kinds things to say about Lacazette during his five years in north London after joining for a then-club record £46.5m fee in the summer of 2017 as they thanked him for his service to the club and wished him well in the future.
"Laca has been a fantastic player for us," Arteta said. "He’s been a real leader on and off the pitch and has been a very important influence to our younger players. His commitment with us has been exceptional and we wish him and his family success and happiness.”
Meanwhile, Edu added: "A big thank you to Laca from everyone at Arsenal. He’s been really important for us. "He will always be part of the Arsenal family and we wish him well for everything in the future."
