I’m really happy at Arsenal – Alexandre Lacazette

Alexandre Lacazette insisted he is “really happy” at Arsenal after helping the Gunners kick off the new Premier League season with a comfortable 3-0 win over Fulham.

Summer signings Willian and Gabriel both starred on their Arsenal debuts at Craven Cottage, the former Chelsea playmaker finishing with three assists while the ex-Lille defender headed home his side’s second.

Lacazette had opened the scoring in the eighth minute when he capitalised on a loose ball, with strike partner Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang adding Arsenal’s third before the hour mark.

Lacazette has been linked with a move to Atletico Madrid but the French forward dismissed any suggestions he is unhappy at the Emirates Stadium.

“I am really happy,” he told the club website after the game.

“It’s only the press that says I’m not happy. From the beginning I’ve said I am happy at Arsenal and I want to play and win titles.

“We won a title last month so I am happy with Arsenal.”

On the performance itself, Lacazette added: “Yes, it was the best way to start the season. We wanted to win today and get the clean sheet.

“Defensively I think we did some good stuff and respected what the coach wanted. At the end, we won so everyone is happy today.”

Fulham manager Scott Parker is confident his promoted side will continue to improve following the defeat, but admits they can ill afford to concede three goals every game.

He said: “I really liked us first half, but second half not so much. The second goal is really weak on our behalf – a set-play goal and a real weakness in terms of they load a lot of players underneath the bar and we just didn’t see much fight there at that moment.

“It was a poor goal to concede. In this division, if we’re expected to score three goals to win or get draws out of games, it’s going to be pretty tough for us, certainly against teams like Arsenal who have the quality they have.

“I think you’re right, there are some positives, but when you’re on a 3-0 loss there’s some negatives as well.

“We’ll dust ourselves down, keep improving and keep understanding where we need to get better, and go from there.”