Arsenal stars punish Alexandre Lacazette harshly in final training session

Former Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette is out of contract at Arsenal this summer and the Frenchman has been cruelly punished ahead of the approaching season against Everton

Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette was severely punished during what may be his last training session with the club ahead of the game.

The former Lyon native joined the Gunners in 2017 for a club-record fee of £52million. However, with his contract expiring at the end of the season, he could end up leaving for free.

Lacazette has revealed he’s been holding talks with potential suitors as he decides on his future. The 30-year-old has scored just four league goals this season and has taken the brunt of a tough training exercise from manager Mikel Arteta before the final game of the Premier League season.

“You will compete and the losing team has to go through this corridor and you will get hit,” Arteta said before the practice. His squad was split into two groups, one Black and one White, with those without possession encouraged to harass those with the ball.

Lacazette, wearing black, ended up on the losing side. In fact, the forward was forced to run the gauntlet as the likes of Mohamed Elneny and Emile Smith Rowe dished out the penalty.

The training session also saw the return of Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey after a spell on the touchline. The Ghana international has not played since being substituted through injury in the Crystal Palace defeat on April 4 and Arteta’s side have struggled in his absence.

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Partey’s injury helped Arsenal lose ground to rivals Tottenham and two points separate the teams going into the final round of the game. If Arteta’s side are to finish fourth they need to beat Everton at the Emirates Stadium and hope Spurs lose at bottom Norwich.

Arsenal could lose both Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah this summer as both forwards are out of contract. They’ve already allowed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to join Barcelona mid-season and have been tipped to delve into the transfer market in search of reinforcements.

Everton and England striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin is one of the names linked with a move to north London after scoring the goal that kept Frank Lampard’s side in the Premier League. However, they have also held talks with representatives of Juventus striker Paulo Dybala, with the Argentina international set to leave Juventus at the end of the season.

“It’s difficult to find the right words to greet you, it’s so many years and so many emotions involved, all together,” wrote Dybala as he confirmed his seven-year tenure at Juve was coming to an end. “I thought we’d be together for more years, but fate takes us down different paths.