Alexandre Lacazette has revealed the influential role that Francis Coquelin played in convincing him to join Arsenal.
The 26-year-old striker became Arsenal's club record signing on Wednesday in a deal that could eventually be worth £52million.
Lacazette seemed bound for Atletico Madrid earlier this summer but the Court of Arbitration for Sport's decision to uphold a transfer ban on the Spanish giants gave Arsenal a chance to pounce on the France international.
And they were aided in their pursuit by Coquelin, who played alongside Lacazette in France's title-winning side in the 2010 Under-19 Euros.
"Francis and I kept in touch after that," Lacazette said. "We’ve had a lot of contact over the last few years and even more over the last few weeks, of course, since it became increasingly likely that I would come to Arsenal.
"He has said only good things about Arsenal, which is not surprising because he wanted me to join the club. Even without that I still really wanted to come here.
"He stressed that it was a great club located in a fantastic city. He said I would not regret my decision to move here because of the people I’d be working with and, of course, the fans."
In Pictures | Arsenal sign Alexandre Lacazette | 05/07/2017
Lacazette will make his home debut for Arsenal later this month at the Emirates but it will not be the first time the new signing has appeared in North London.
In both 2010 and 2015 Lyon were invited to the Emirates Cup, a pre-season tournament hosted by Arsenal. Whilst a 6-0 hammering in 2015 did not offer the happiest memories for Lacazette it did at least give the Gunners a chance to impress their record signing.
"In 2010 I was just starting to play as a club professional so I was very happy [to be there]," Lacazette told the Arsenal website. "Two years ago I was less happy as we lost badly to Arsenal but I was impressed by the stadium."