Alexandre Lacazette can shine in England: Aly Cissokho

Alexandre Lacazette

Former Liverpool player Aly Cissokho believes that Alexandre Lacazette has the quality to succeed at Liverpool or Arsenal should he move to England.

Lacazette, 23, has caught the eye of the Premier League after scoring 17 goals in the first half of the season in Ligue 1 to help Lyon into second place, ahead of Paris Saint-Germain but behind Marseille.

Cissokho, 27, who played with Lacazette at Lyon, said he had seen Lacazette's potential first-hand during his three-year spell at Lyon between 2009 and 2012, and believes the France international forward has the ability to shine in the Premier League.

The defender said, "It's great, I'm happy for him. He's a player who, when I was there, came from the reserve team to train with us, but you could see he had a future.

"He was serious in his work, and showed his determination in each session. He steadily grew in confidence, and has established himself in the team. I think he's starting to show his potential to the whole of Europe. He has quality, and is going to get better and better.

"What he is capable of doing now is very good for Lyon and France. He's a young player, and clubs like Arsenal and Liverpool have a lot of competition for places up front, and as a foreigner it's also different because you have to leave your hometown and those close to you.

"It's a challenge, it's up to him to see if he's ready to take it on. We'll see what happens in the summer, but he easily has the quality to play in teams of that stature."

Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas, however, has stated his determination to keep Lacazette at the club as part of his ambition of having a home-grown team lead them back into the Champions League.