There was inevitably a sigh of relief on Wednesday when Arsenal revealed the £52.7 million signing of Alexandre Lacazette from Lyon.

The Gunners faithful have spent the best part of the summer worrying about the futures of contract rebels Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil - wondering whether they'd seen the last of their star men.

But while their futures remain unresolved, the France forward's arrival marks a key moment in the Gunner's transfer dealings this summer.

For long, Arsenal's supporters have struggled to come to terms with the fact that they haven't been prepared to spend as big as their major Premier League rivals.

Sanchez, Ozil and Granit Xhaka have all come in for huge fees in recent years, but without following it up with other big-name acquisitions.

Time will tell if further big names are to come through the doors at the Emirates, and the pressure is on Arsene Wenger to meet the supporters' demands.

However, regardless of who does arrive over the coming weeks, before the season begins on August 11, the club's fans will undoubtedly be satisfied with their new frontman.

Last season alone, Lacazette netted 37 goals across all competitions, while 28 of those goals for Lyon came in Ligue 1, which saw them finish fourth.

Those stats are pleasing on the eye for fellow forward Theo Walcott, who admits he's watched clips of the Frenchman in action before he made his switch to Arsenal.

Walcott sees Lacazette and Defoe similarities

And Walcott believes that Lacazette reminds him of his England teammate, Jermain Defoe.

"The French league is very physical league but he looks like he's in good nick," Walcott told Arsenal Player, per IBT.

"He reminds me a bit of Jermain Defoe in that he sees the target, shoots and scores.

"That's what I've seen of him in little clips, so hopefully he can bring those attributes to the team. There's loads of competition for places which is healthy as always, but we're looking strong."

Defoe makes immediate Premier League return

Defoe's 15 goals were, unfortunately, not enough to keep Sunderland in the Premier League last season, hitting the back of the net every 2.4 games.

But his new club Bournemouth will be exceptionally pleased if Defoe can show the similarities between himself and Lacazette, which Walcott has alluded to.

The 34-year-old striker activated a relegation release clause in his contract with the Black Cats, which allowed him to return to the Premier League with the Cherries on a free transfer.