Wenger Claims Lacazette Needs 'Two Months' to Adapt Despite Firing First Emirates Goal

Arsène Wenger is keen to quell the hype surrounding his record signing Alexandre Lacazette, stating the striker still needs a few weeks to get used to life in England. The Frenchman scored his first goal at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium over the weekend, notching the Gunners only strike in their 2-1 defeat to Eduardo Berizzo's Sevilla.

The 26-year-old found himself in the right place at the right time to tuck home a deflected Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain cross, scoring either side of Sevilla's Joaquin Correa and Steven N'Zonzi to win Arsenal the trophy in the 2017 Emirates Cup. 

The striker was replaced by Theo Walcott in the Arsenal attack after appearing to sustain an injury, although Wenger has played down those claims, according to ESPN.

"Overall I think it was an encouraging performance," Wenger said about the striker. "He suffered a little bit from the fact that we were a bit flat, and not dominating enough to get the service. But he was one of the few who had a positive game today.

"That's him. To score goals is to be in the right place in the box when the cross comes in and he has that quality," Wenger added. "Sometimes it takes a few months, sometimes it takes very little time. The only thing I must say with Lacazette is that week after week he looks to adapt quickly.

"But overall I think it will take him one or two months."

Fans looked concerned late in the match when their new striker appeared to be walking awkwardly, raising doubt over Lacazette's availability for their Community Shield match with Chelsea next week.

"Lacazette was okay. I took him off but not because he was injured. He was one of the few players who had a positive game today," Wenger said. "It was an encouraging performance from Lacazette. He suffered a bit from the fact when we were a bit flat."

Unsurprisingly, the aptly named 'Arsenal Twitter' went into meltdown after seeing Lacazette score his first goal at his new home. The 26-year-old French international will be amongst the thick of it this season, fighting with Harry Kane, Romelu Lukaku and Álvaro Morata for the coveted Golden Boot.