Arsenal news: Unai Emery wanted Alexandre Lacazette when he was at PSG and is now loving their link-up in Premier League

UNAI EMERY is loving working with Alexandre Lacazette — two years after chasing him as Paris Saint-Germain boss.

The Arsenal striker is now playing a key role in Emery’s attempt to forge a new era at the Emirates.

Former PSG chief Emery wanted Lacazette, 27, to spearhead his attack in Paris when he took over at the French moneybags in 2016.

And now Emery finally has the Frenchman at his disposal, he is urging him to build on this good start to his second season.

Emery said: “When I arrived at PSG we were thinking to sign Lacazette. His quality and his characteristics also we liked at PSG.

“The people who were working there, they said to us ‘This player has the quality to play for PSG’. But he was at Lyon and it wasn’t easy to have the conversation or to sign a player from Lyon.”

Lyon’s reluctance to sell to a French rival kept Lacazette there for another season.

And when he did leave it was not for his preferred destination of Atletico Madrid, but for Arsenal.

The France international joined the Gunners for an initial club-record fee of £44million in July 2017, which could rise to £52m.

He struggled for goals and form early on, but by the end of Arsene Wenger’s final season had found his groove.

And since he came on as a half-time substitute against West Ham in Emery’s third match in charge, Arsenal have never been behind and have won all eight matches he has played a part in.

Lacazette has started all five Premier League games since and scored four goals, including the winner at Cardiff and two in Arsenal’s 5-1 romp at Fulham before the international break.

Emery said: “For him, last year, his first year in the PL, was a different league than the French league, also the position and the rhythm.

“But not the mentality because he has a very good mentality and he has very good chances usually to score. He is very efficient.

“This year we are looking at him one step more in this level. We are very happy but my message to him is ‘every day, don’t stop’.

“Don’t stop in training, don’t stop in matches, carry on to find his best performance. Not even just in matches but in each minute of the 90 minutes — and he has been doing that.

“I believe in him and in the other players. With his characteristics, we need him to stay feeling well in the team with the role and with his quality.”

After the Fulham win, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang said he and Lacazette were like brothers, a feeling which Emery wants all his players to share.

It was a strong team spirit which helped tomorrow’s opponents, Leicester, to stun the football world by winning the Premier League title in 2016.

Emery, 46, was still at Sevilla then, doing his best to compete against Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid, while the Foxes were upsetting the big boys.

He said: “When I was in Spain it was very good news that a team like Leicester can win the Premier League.”

The Gunners can extend their winning streak to ten games with victory, but the Spaniard is not getting too carried away.

He said: “I don’t look behind, I look forward. If we are thinking it’s easy, maybe that’s a weakness. We need to continue in the same way with our demands very high.”