Following Auba's footsteps, Lacazette eyes similar impact at NEOM SC | OneFootball

NEOM Sports Club wasted no time in making their intentions known ahead of the 2025-26 Roshn Saudi League season, signing former Olympique Lyon and Arsenal star Alexandre Lacazette.

The 34-year-old, who joins the RSL debutants on a deal through until 2027, is a widely recognisable name in European football after his five-year stint in the English Premier League, where he played alongside current Al Qadsiah striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

The pair struck up an instant rapport and, at times, proved a deadly combination across four seasons for the North London side, with their trademark handshake celebration becoming an iconic feature of their blossoming “bromance”.

“‘Auba’ is a really good striker, and defenders find it difficult to take care of him,” Lacazette said during those Arsenal days together. “Playing with 'Auba' is always a pleasure for me.”

Now instead of playing with “Auba”, he will line up against him in the Saudi Arabian top flight.

Of course, that is not alien territory for the French international, with the duo also facing one another in France’s Ligue 1; Aubameyang for Olympique Marseille, Lacazette for Lyon.

Now they’ll go head-to-head in the RSL for two recently promoted teams with ambitions of challenging for silverware - and breaking the division’s traditional top clubs.

Before putting pen to paper, there’s no doubt Lacazette would have sought counsel from his former teammate and longtime friend, who made an instant impression for Al Qadsiah last season in their first campaign back in the RSL in three years.

Gabon international Aubameyang finished his debut season in red with 17 goals and three assists as Al Qadsiah came home an impressive fourth. They also reached the final of the King’s Cup.

So Lacazette, coming off the back of his 15 goals in Ligue 1 through 2024-25, will be hoping to make a similar impact in the north-west of the Kingdom for a side playing in the RSL for the first time in their history.

Judging by his past three seasons with Lyon, fans of NEOM SC should expect no less. While Lacazette’s time with Arsenal was at times inconsistent, both individually and as a collective, his second stint at Lyon saw the forward return to the type of form that propelled him to stardom.

He had arrived at Arsenal in 2017 on the back of a protracted purple patch at boyhood club Lyon in which he scored 76 goals in 97 games across three campaigns. Understandably, it made him one of the most sought-after strikers in Europe.

After netting 54 times in 158 Premier League appearances and helping Arsenal capture the 2020 FA Cup, Lacazette returned to Lyon in 2022. Back home, clearly he rediscovered something to return to his dynamic and prolific best.

In his first season back in Ligue 1, Lacazette bagged 27 goals - only two behind Golden Boot winner Kylian Mbappe. A sense of freedom had returned to his game, allowing him to flourish.

On the back of that form came one of the greatest honours of his career: captaining France at the Olympic Games in 2024. It is something Lacazette has described as a career highlight.

It was doubly so given he played under legendary former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry, a footballer he cited as an idol of his growing up. You can see that in the way Lacazette plays; having initially started his career as a winger, he converted to a striker, much like Henry was at Arsenal.

Lacazette called time on his Lyon career at the end of last season after 11 campaigns at the club across two stints, playing almost 400 matches and scoring 201 goals.

It was an emotional farewell for the Lyon-born striker, who shed a tear as Lyon fans unveiled giant banners in tribute in his final game for the club, against Angers SCO. Lacazette provided the perfect parting gift, scoring twice to help Lyon win 2-0 and finish sixth.

And now, in his twilight but with fresh motivation and a new challenge ahead, he is moving onto the next chapter in his celebrated career with the RSL’s newest club.

“I’m really happy and excited to be part of the project,” Lacazette said in a social media video released by NEOM SC. “I can’t wait to meet [the fans] and also my new teammates. See you soon!”

It’s a bold statement of intent from NEOM SC as they aim for an eye-catching debut run in the RSL. For starters, they will be led through the campaign by Christophe Galtier, a Ligue 1-winning manager with Paris Saint-Germain and Lille, and a fellow Frenchman to Lacazette.

Lacazette has plenty of connections in the Kingdom to smooth the transition. A former close colleague of Aubameyang’s, he will be intent on repaying NEOM SC's faith in the fashion the Al Qadsiah star did to his employers last term.