Alexandre Lacazette has impressed Theo Walcott (Picture: Getty)

Arsenal winger Theo Walcott says new signing Alexandre Lacazette reminds him of former Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe because of his clinical finishing style.

The Gunners brought in Lacazette earlier this week for a club-record deal potentially rising to £52million, with the France international showing his tremendous potential in the last few seasons with Lyon.

Walcott is delighted to see the 26-year-old link up with the Gunners, and believes his accuracy in front of goal as well as his pace will be a big asset in the Premier League.

Speaking about Arsenal’s newest recruit, Walcott compared him with England team-mate Defoe in the way that he doesn’t need too many invitations to find the back of the net.

Lacazette joined Arsenal from Lyon this week (Picture: Getty)
Jermain Defoe has enjoyed a prolific Premier League career (Picture: Reuters)

‘The French league is very physical league but he looks like he’s in good nick. He reminds me a bit of Jermain Defoe in that he sees the target, shoots and scores,’ Walcott told Arsenal Player.

‘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.

‘Pace in the Premier League is the most important thing for me. It’s hard because a lot of teams drop back, sit back against us and it’s tight because there’s not a lot of space in behind.

‘You have to find different ways of breaking them down but that’s why you’ve got all these clever players like Mesut (Ozil) to get through them differently. Pace is always a threat. When you’re counter-attacking, it wins all the time. As long as we’ve got pace in this team, we’re going to be OK.’

Lacazette has had plenty of plaudits this week, with former Lyon manager Gerard Houllier comparing him to legendary Arsenal striker Ian Wright.

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