Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli heaped praise on Alexandre Lacazette following the club’s 4-1 Premier League win over Leeds United on Saturday.
The Gunners secured a third-straight league win yesterday. Martinelli was the pick of the players, scoring a quick-fire brace in the opening half.
He was full of energy over 90 minutes, and there were no surprises that he was named man of the match after another impressive performance.
In his post-match interview, Martinelli was asked about the impact of Lacazette. The Brazilian was full of praise for the striker, who captained the side.
He said via football.london: “He’s so good at that. He always attracts the centre back. I have the chance to go in behind and we’re doing it well.”
Lacazette has been the club’s captain for the past three games, and he has relished the added responsibility with key goal contributions in the league.
He bagged a goal against Southampton before laying an assist in the West Ham game. He put in another solid display against Leeds, assisting the opening goal.
The Frenchman intercepted Adam Forshaw in the box. The ball fell straight into Martinelli’s path, who unleashed a powerful shot beyond Illan Meslier.
Lacazette’s future has been a regular topic of speculation in recent months, but manager Mikel Arteta has said that his position will be assessed next summer.
Prior to that, the 30-year-old could negotiate a pre-contract with an overseas club. He will enter the final six months of his contract at the turn of the year.
The £19.8m-rated star is not a potent goalscorer, but his link-up play from deeper positions has brought the best out of players around him including Martinelli.
The Gunners are currently on the up after a poor restart following the international break. They are comfortably placed in the fourth position on the table.
Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur could leapfrog them with multiple games in hand, but there are no assurances of them picking up maximum points.
