Thierry Henry has backed Alexandre Lacazette to succeed at Arsenal, arguing that his fellow Frenchman will bring “great commitment and great focus” to the side.

The forward joined the Gunners from Lyon last month for a club record £46.5m fee.

Signing a five-year deal at the Emirates, Lacazette is now expected to lead Arsenal’s front-line for the coming season in place of Olivier Giroud – and former Gunner Henry believes the 26-year-old has all the qualities required to thrive at the club.

“I have been following Lacazette for a long time,” Henry told Sky. “He has been a talent since youth level. He has always been a guy that people have talked about. At Lyon he scored goal after goal after goal, so it is not surprising that he was hot property on the transfer market.

“We all know about his quality. He's an excellent finisher. He has a great mind, a great mentality, great commitment and great focus. When you buy players from abroad you don't know for sure how they will adapt, but I back Lacazette to be successful in the Premier League.”

Following Lacazette’s arrival at the Emirates, Giroud’s future at the club has since been thrown into question – despite his preferential treatment in the national side.

Henry has described such a set-up as “an interesting dynamic” but believes Arsene Wenger knows what he's doing.

Arsenal vs Chelsea, Community Shield - player ratings Show all 23 1 /23 Arsenal vs Chelsea, Community Shield - player ratings Arsenal vs Chelsea, Community Shield - player ratings Arsenal vs Chelsea player ratings Who impressed and who faltered at Wembley? Getty Arsenal vs Chelsea, Community Shield - player ratings Petr Cech - 7 out of 10 His usual assured self at the back. Was quick off his line in the first half to clear a Chelsea through ball on the edge of the box. Let down by his Arsenal defence for Chelsea's goal but a hero in the shootout. Getty Arsenal vs Chelsea, Community Shield - player ratings Rob Holding - 6 An assured first half performance but failed to properly read the situation for Moses' goal. Should have done better. Getty Arsenal vs Chelsea, Community Shield - player ratings Per Mertesacker - N/A His game was cut short after taking a blow to the head that forced him into an early substitution. Getty Arsenal vs Chelsea, Community Shield - player ratings Nacho Monreal - 6 Adjusted well to loss of Mertesacker at the back. Held his position and coped under pressure. Nothing remarkable, though. Getty Arsenal vs Chelsea, Community Shield - player ratings Hector Bellerin - 6 Enjoyed more influence down the flank than his counterpart on the other wing. Got forward into the right positions and produced a number of challenging deliveries. Getty Arsenal vs Chelsea, Community Shield - player ratings Mohamed Elneny - 6 Chanced his luck with a few wild shots on goal that failed to come to fruition. Worked hard in the middle. Solid performance all round. Getty Arsenal vs Chelsea, Community Shield - player ratings Granit Xhaka - 7 It was his failed clearance which handed Chelsea their opener but he made up for it as the game advanced. He came close with a stinging shot from outside of the box and provided the delivery for Kolasinac's header. MOTM. Getty Arsenal vs Chelsea, Community Shield - player ratings Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain - 5 Oxlade-Chamberlain continues to look out of place at left-back, despite Wenger's hopes that he'll be able to make a wing-back out of the player. As such, the Ox once again lacked confidence and that special spark that stopped him from having any real major say on the game - even when he was pushed on higher up the pitch after Mertesacker's injury. Getty Arsenal vs Chelsea, Community Shield - player ratings Alex Iwobi - 7 Enjoyed a notable surge forward at the end of the first half with an explosive burst of pace before showing some neat footwork to keep the attack alive after running into danger. Spirited and lively performance in all. Getty Arsenal vs Chelsea, Community Shield - player ratings Danny Welbeck - 7 Put in an industrious performance for Arsenal. Tireless in his harrying of Chelsea’s back line and willing to drop back deep for his team mates. Linked up well with Lacazette, too, which certainly bodes well for the coming season. Getty Arsenal vs Chelsea, Community Shield - player ratings Alexandre Lacazette - 6 An encouraging game for the Frenchman. Was certainly more effective in the first half, when he hit the post with a curled effort from the centre of the box. Could strike up a nice partnership with Welbeck. Getty Arsenal vs Chelsea, Community Shield - player ratings Thibaut Courtois – 5 Made some good saves although looked a little bit wobbly underneath the high ball. But why oh why did he step forward to take a penalty?! Getty Images, Arsenal vs Chelsea, Community Shield - player ratings Cesar Azpilicueta – 6 Struggled against the direct running of Iwobi. Not one of his better games, all in all. AFP/Getty Images Arsenal vs Chelsea, Community Shield - player ratings David Luiz – 7 An enigmatic performance from the Brazilian, who impressed with a couple of bits of outrageous skill. Getty Images Arsenal vs Chelsea, Community Shield - player ratings Gary Cahill – 7 Dominant in the air and played out well from the back when required. Getty Images Arsenal vs Chelsea, Community Shield - player ratings Victor Moses – 7 Opened the scoring with a well-taken goal at the start of the second-half. Getty Images for ICC Arsenal vs Chelsea, Community Shield - player ratings Cesc Fabregas – 7 Calm and composed in the middle of the park. His passing was impressive throughout. Bongarts/Getty Images Arsenal vs Chelsea, Community Shield - player ratings N’Golo Kante – 7 A typically tidy performance. His pass success rate did not dip below 90% all match and he made several good tackles. AFP/Getty Images Arsenal vs Chelsea, Community Shield - player ratings Marcos Alonso – 6 Not one of the Spaniard’s better games. But on the plus side he does have a superb new lid. Bongarts/Getty Images Arsenal vs Chelsea, Community Shield - player ratings Willian – 6 Not his best performance, and was booked half-way through the first-half for simulation. AFP/Getty Images Arsenal vs Chelsea, Community Shield - player ratings Pedro – 7 Chelsea’s brightest player in the first-half by a considerable distance and equally effective in the second. But was sent off late on for a dangerous tackle. Getty Images Arsenal vs Chelsea, Community Shield - player ratings Michy Batshuayi – 6 Had a couple of shots, one of which was well saved by Cech. He’s improving – but he’s no Diego Costa. AFP/Getty Images

“It's a funny one for Olivier Giroud, because Lacazette is his back-up in the national team but it looks like he will be first choice at Arsenal. I don't know how many times it has happened in history that two players have switched roles like that between national team and club. I'm not saying it is right or wrong but it is an interesting dynamic.

“Arsene Wenger clearly sees things differently to the national team coach. Maybe he has different plans and different tactics. Lacazette is a different kind of striker to Giroud. He will stretch teams and go in behind the defence. It's good for Arsenal to have those options, and of course they also have Alexis Sanchez, Danny Welbeck and Theo Walcott.