How Lacazette compares to Sanchez and the rest of Arsenal´s forward line

Arsenal made the biggest move of the transfer window on Wednesday by spending a reported club-record £52million fee on striker Alexandre Lacazette.

The France international had been linked with Atletico Madrid, but their FIFA-imposed transfer ban ultimately proved too big an obstacle, allowing Gunners boss Arsene Wenger to pounce.

Lacazette has been a consistent menace in Ligue 1 with Lyon and was named the division’s player of the year for 2014-15 after finishing as top goalscorer on 27.

But how does the 26-year-old measure up to Arsenal’s other attacking options? Can he provide more than just goals? With the help of Opta, we assess his efforts in the league last year compared to the rest of his new club’s forward line.

OUT-GUNNING THE GUNNERS

Lacazette scored 28 goals in Ligue 1 last season, which is four more than Arsenal’s top scorer Alexis Sanchez managed in the Premier League and well clear of Olivier Giroud, who hit 12.

Theo Walcott was next best on 10, with Alex Iwobi down on three, Danny Welbeck on two and Lucas Perez just one.

Lacazette managed his tally in 30 appearances comprising a total of 2,408 minutes played, giving him an average of a goal every 86 minutes. Sanchez, by contrast, played 3,223 minutes, averaging a goal every 134. Giroud posted the best rate of any Arsenal player last term with a goal every 100 minutes.

Arsenal’s new man unsurprisingly has the edge when it comes to goals per game, too. Lacazette’s ratio measures at 0.93, with Sanchez at 0.63, Giroud at 0.41 and Walcott down at 0.36.

RUTHLESS BEYOND COMPARE

Lacazette’s precision is best underlined by his shot conversion rate. He scored with 33.3 per cent of his efforts on goal last term, dwarfing the exploits of Sanchez at 18.6 per cent. Giroud had the best conversion rate of Arsenal’s attackers at 30.8; the worst was Iwobi, down at 7.69.

Overall, Lacazette attempted 84 shots in his 30 league appearances, hitting the target with 47 of them. Sanchez took 129 shots and was on target with just 49, but Giroud fared a little better, having been accurate with 20 of his 39 attempts.

Walcott managed 29 shots on target out of 62, Iwobi just 11 from 39, Welbeck eight from 19 and Perez four from only nine attempts.

AN ALL-ROUND THREAT

Sanchez added 10 assists to his 24 goals last season, but he created a total of 78 chances for his team-mates, underlining just how much of a danger he poses to opposition defences.

Lacazette’s principle role at Lyon was as a goalscorer, but his unselfish side compares favourably to the Gunners’ attackers. Although he registered just three league assists, he created 51 chances overall in his 30 appearances.

That’s more than Giroud (17), Walcott (13), Perez (seven) and Welbeck (five) combined. It’s also better than Iwobi, although his 26 chances created impressively came in only 26 matches.