There’s a lot of pressure riding on the shoulders of Alexandre Lacazette.

Similarly to Romelu Lukaku and Alvaro Morata, the Frenchman is expected to lead the line of a top Premier League side with a flurry of goals. His record-breaking price tag of £46 million will do little to ease the tension, either.

Nevertheless, the ex-Lyon forward has made a solid start to life in red in the club’s pre-season tour of Oceania and Asia. He scored against Sydney FC on his debut and has since maintained satisfactory performances throughout.

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The 3-0 defeat to Chelsea and his first taste of Premier League opposition was something of a reality check, nevertheless.

Lacazette was swiftly starved of service and was practically marked out of the game by David Luiz. As a result, it was no surprise when Arsene Wenger eventually turned to Olivier Giroud to alter the Gunners’ attack.

Of course, you can only conclude so much from a single friendly but it showed that Lacazette’s Premier League journey won’t be an easy one.

It’s certainly a concern for the Gunners as they need to hit the ground running when competition begins in mid-August. Wenger will be chomping at the bit to regain the club’s Champions League status after the bitter disappointment of a fifth place finish.

So, how will Lacazette perform? While there’s no crystal ball to summon an exact foreshadowing, one man whose opinion should carry on the situation is undoubtedly Robert Pires.

The Arsenal legend moved to Highbury in 2000 and eventually overcame a slow start to endure in the memories of gooners forever. Moreover, he has had his say on his compatriot and how he could fare under Wenger’s wing.

As per the Mirror, he explained: “I do think Lacazette will be a success. He is a good striker who has scored a lot of goals with Lyon. Of course it will be difficult in the beginning because when you play in France and move to England it is not the same, it is very aggressive.

“Maybe he will need time to adapt, but everyone around him is important, especially the French connection.”

Naturally, this prompted the 43-year-old to discuss his own initial shortcomings. Yet, of course, his eventual rise to an ‘invincible’ shows the value of patience and persistence.

He reminisced: “I remember my first game at Sunderland.

“Arsene said, ‘Robert, I know you are a bit upset because you want to play, but I prefer it if you are on the bench and you can watch the game, the fight and the tempo’. After 20 minutes sat on the bench I said to myself, ‘What are you doing here?!’ because it was very, very difficult.

“I remember one tackle from Patrick Vieira and I thought this football wasn’t for me. It was difficult and it is about how you adapt. Some people say that it is the same everywhere. It certainly is not.”

Who would you want in your team - Lacazette, Lukaku or Morata? Let us know by leaving a comment below.