Thierry Henry included Alexandre Lacazette in his 25-man provisional squad (Picture: Getty)
Alexandre Lacazette was left stunned by his inclusion in France’s Olympic squad, but the former Arsenal captain has not yet decided if he will accept Thierry Henry’s call-up.
Lacazette, now captain of French side Lyon, enjoyed another impressive season in Ligue 1, scoring 22 goals in all competitions and guiding his side to a sixth-place finish.
But the 33-year-old was left blindsided by his surprise inclusion in France’s provisional 25-man squad for this summer’s Olympics in Paris.
According to French outlet L’Équipe, Lacazette first found out the news on holiday, with his club Lyon equally unaware of the plans prior to Henry’s press conference on Monday.
The striker is yet to decide whether to accept the call-up, which would represent his first appearance for the national team since 2017.
Lacazette is also pondering his future at Lyon amid interest from Saudi Pro League side Al-Qadisah who achieved promotion to the top-flight last season.
Henry, who will confirm his 18-man squad for the tournament next month, previously attempted to lure high-profile stars Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann to play in the Olympics.
Lacazette scored 22 goals in all competitions last season (Picture: Getty)
Both players turned down the opportunity, while Henry has also been rebuffed by Chelsea in his attempt to include defensive duo Malo Gusto and Benoit Badiashile in his squad.
The Blues have agreed to release midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu for tournament, but Henry understood why they were reticent to let go of more players.
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‘I’m either disappointed or surprised, the clubs are within their rights, unfortunately, and I think what I have been saying hasn’t changed since I started taking about the Olympics,’ the former Arsenal and Barcelona forward said.
‘We knew very well that we were going to be confronted by this, you’re waiting for a response hoping but at a given moment if you give the possibility to a club they are within their rights to say, ‘no’. It becomes difficult, so am I disappointed, surprised? No, I expected it.’
The men’s and women’s Olympic football tournaments runs from 24 July to 10 August.
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