Alexandre Lacazette Is the Striker to Transform the PSG Attack

As the start of the 2016 European Championship moves closer and closer, football clubs around Europe are trying to decide whether to pounce for summer targets now or wait until after the tournament.

One club that is not in a hurry to act is Olympique Lyonnais.

The side from the Rhone-Alpes region finished second in Ligue 1, automatically qualifying for a place in the Champions League group stage. Star striker Alexandre Lacazette will not be going to the tournament with France, only named on manager Didier Deschamps' reserve list. That has put Lyon owner Jean-Michel Aulas in a position of power.

It is widely believed the 25-year-old will leave his boyhood club this summer, but Aulas is holding all the cards, and the shrewd businessman is not going to relinquish control any time soon.

"If on August 28 we receive [a bid of] €80million he will not leave," he told L'Equipe (h/t FourFourTwo). "On the other hand, if they come to me in the days to come with an offer I cannot refuse then it is possible.

Paris Saint-Germain have been linked with a move for the forward, such as by Alex Wood of the Daily Star, and he would be tasked with the job of helping the club move on from the Zlatan Ibrahimovic era.

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"If Paris, in order to win the Champions League, need to have Alexandre and they have the means to buy him, I wouldn't say no," continued Aulas, per L’Equipe (h/t Mark Rodden of ESPN FC). "At the moment I don't have that impression, but if he wants it and they have the means, I say: Why not?"

This is not the first summer the French striker has been linked with a move to the capital. Twelve months ago, the same stories were reported, but Lacazette, although Aulas publicly blasted him for not putting pen to paper on a new contract, eventually signed a new deal with Les Gones.

Affected by both injuries and the public nature of his disagreement with the president, his form dropped at the start of the season, and the goals and plaudits dried up.

After 10 games, the player who finished with 27 goals the previous campaign had only scored twice. Some questioned whether he had made the right decision to stay, and his form led Deschamps to criticise the forward, per L’Equipe (h/t Get French Football News):

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I know that when I don’t pick a player, it does not make him happy. ... I am following Alex’s performances. Today, they are not good enough, even when you put into the equation what he did last season. He is capable of doing much better. Today, his performances are not good enough.

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It obviously had a huge impact on his morale, and Saint-Etienne can thank for national-team boss for lighting a fire under him. Just three days later, Lyon hosted Les Verts in the local derby, the last to be played at the Stade Gerland, and Lacazette was sensational.

His finished with a hat-trick, with the opener a lovely delicate chip over Stephane Ruffier. It was far removed from the out-of-form striker he had been.

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When speaking exclusively to Jason Burt of the Telegraph in January, Lacazette talked about how the transfer stories in the past had affected him and why he thinks he is ready for a move: 

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Now I am used to dealing with all the rumours. But when they started, maybe two years ago, I was destabilised a little by it. But now I am used to it. For me, it’s not so hard because I was not ready [to leave] two years ago or even last season.

I was not ready then and my goal is not to go to England for the sake of going to England and I don’t want to go to a club and sit on the bench. So at that time it was not hard for me to stay here. It was a question of waiting until I was ready and I am now ready this summer.

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Although 2015-16 was a trying campaign for the striker, it helped him grow and undoubtedly made him a much better player for his troubles.

Under Hubert Fournier, especially last season, Lacazette excelled playing in a 4-4-2 diamond. Nabil Fekir or Clinton N’Jie would play off the more experienced forward, and their ability to hit on the counter and break with speed destroyed the opposition.

Fournier was relieved of his duties at the end of 2015 and club coach Bruno Genesio was handed the top job. His first move was to return to the 4-3-3 with which Lyon found so much success in the early part of the millennium—helping them win seven straight titles—and a formation that seems deeply rooted in the club’s psyche and philosophy.

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Lacazette struggled at first, as much to do with his young strike partners, Maxwel Cornet and Rachid Ghezzal, adapting to him as it was his own problems. However, once they found a way to work around Lyon’s No. 10 and form small triangles close to him, they began to play off his instinct and drive. It quickly began to click into place.

Under Fournier, Lacazette excelled in his ability to link up with the players around him, run into the channels and beat defenders off the dribble. That is still a huge part of his game, but he has adapted to play with his back to goal, more like a typical centre-forward.

Cornet and Ghezzal began to express themselves, Lacazette was able to find space, get in behind defences and use his all-around game to devastating effect.

In his last 10 games of the season, he scored 11 times, added two assists and helped OL win eight of those fixtures. Just before that run, he played a huge part in helping Les Gones inflict PSG’s first league defeat of the season. He may not have appeared on the scoresheet in that game, but his influence and performance was paramount to their success.

If Blanc and PSG want to find someone to start the process of replacing Ibrahimovic, they could do much worse than opening their chequebook and paying whatever it takes to convince Aulas to part with his crown jewel.

He has shown he can play as the centre-forward in a three-man attack, but only if you play to his strengths. There is no point in launching high balls through the middle looking for a knockdown. That’s not his game.

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You would be looking to get him and Angel Di Maria to combine. Add in the pace and skill of Lucas Moura and the guile, trickery and vision of Javier Pastore. There is also a case to suggest Blanc could try the France international next to Edinson Cavani and let those two strike up an interesting partnership.

Lacazette offers the flexibility to play with one, two or three players in the attack, something Ibrahimovic and Cavani did not. PSG would then become less predictable, more dynamic and perhaps a more entertaining side to watch.

It’s unlikely the Lyon forward is top of PSG’s wanted list—that is reserved for names of a superstar calibre. However, if they want to build a dynasty and take an exciting new direction, Lacazette would be the perfect summer signing.