Wenger hopes Lacazette has Ibrahimovic’s United impact at Arsenal

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is hoping record signing Alexandre Lacazette can follow in the footsteps of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and hit the ground running in the Premier League.

Ibrahimovic also arrived from Ligue 1 last season, joining Manchester United from Paris Saint-Germain as he scored 17 league goals and 28 in all competitions.

Wenger said former Lyon forward Lacazette should be targeting a similar return, having scored 37 goals across all competitions in 2016-17 before his reported €60million switch.

“With Lacazette it is simple,” Wenger said ahead of Friday’s Premier League opener against Leicester City.

“He is an intelligent player who can integrate our game well as we have a game backed on mobility, technique.

“After that we get the efficiency. His record in France is to score one in 80 minutes. If he can maintain that record that would be ideal for us. As a game is in 90 that would guarantee you a goal.”

“Goalscoring record is not necessarily transferable from the French League to the English league, that’s for sure.

“But you could say that Ibrahimovic transferred an identical amount of goals from France to England. So that’s the target Lacazette should set.”