Alexandre Lacazette relishing competition from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ahead of Arsenal’s new season

The writing looked to be on the wall for Alexandre Lacazette when Arsene Wenger shelled out £57.5million to sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for Arsenal in January.

Lacazette had scored just eight Premier League goals in the first half of the season and one in 12 in all competitions in the weeks which preceded Aubameyang’s arrival from Borussia Dortmund.

It appeared the flamboyant Gabonese hitman was a direct replacement for a player who had cost a then club record £46.5m from Lyon only seven months earlier. Not least ­because it was no secret that Wenger had wanted ­Aubameyang for some time.

Lacazette’s situation wasn’t helped by a knee injury ­sustained soon after Aubameyang’s arrival that ruled him out for over a month.

And with Aubameyang ­scoring three goals in six games the future looked even bleaker.

But then Lacazette returned with a goal against Stoke in April — Aubameyang scored the other two in a 3-0 win — and two more in the following game, a 4-1 Europa League ­victory over CSKA Moscow.And with the pair forming a promising partnership, ­Lacazette finished the season with 17 goals.

Now he is hoping new boss Unai Emery continues to keep faith in the partnership which, alongside Henrikh Mkhitaryan, sets up a tasty front three. Lacazette said:

“I never said ­Aubameyang’s ­arrival was bad for me, only people in the press said it was bad.

“I was happy because I knew I could play with him. I didn’t see him as a rival, but as a team-mate, so since the ­beginning I was happy about his signature.

“Of course, it’s good that we have a good relationship off the pitch.

“If people are good off the pitch, on the pitch it will be easier to play. When I didn’t score, of course I was ­frustrated. But last season has finished, it’s the past.

“I’ve learned from this and now I am happy to start a new season.

“Now I know all of my ­team-mates, I know the club, I know how English football is.

“It’s totally different, but now I’m more ready. Power is the main difference here, it’s more powerful in England.

“Referees are less strict than in France, teams like to play low and in counter-attack and defenders in ­general are stronger than in France.” In January, Wenger said those powerful defenders and the fact that there was no winter break made life hard for Lacazette in his first season.

The then Arsenal boss pointed to Alvaro Morata’s struggles at Chelsea. Morata has since revealed that he changed his hair, his car and his boots to try to break his bad spell.

Lacazette stuck to more standard practices.

The Arsenal man added: “Arsene talked to me a lot, I watched videos, I trained more. Sometimes you can do everything but it’s only about a little bit of luck.

“I know it was my first ­season so I can’t be too hard on myself. It was okay.

“I don’t care how people judge me, I know if I stay in Arsenal the club is happy and my team-mates as well.

“This is the most important thing.”