Olivier Giroud’s agent is due in London this week to hold talks with Arsenal striker over the future of the striker, according to reports in the Mirror.
The rumour of the Frenchman leaving the North London outfit club has been doing rounds for quite some time now. The forward almost sealed a transfer to Everton with their now-sacked manager Ronald Koeman saying that Olivier Giroud was their top transfer target to replace the outgoing striker Lukaku. But a late change of heart saw him snub this move and decide to fight for his place at the Emirates.
The summer transfer window of 2012 saw Arsenal beating stiff competition to bring in 26-year-old French striker Olivier Giroud. A move that saw him take on the coveted role of the central striker at the Emirates, a post once held by the likes of Arsenal legends Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Ian Wright, only to name a few.
Today at 31 years and with over a hundred goals under his belt the six-foot Frenchman has gone to become one of the top ten goalscorers in the club history. But the future does not look so promising for him at the Emirates.
In spite of statistics proving him to be a lethal striker and game changer, Olivier Giroud has always divided opinion among the Arsenal faithful as some consider him to be the alpha predator that we always needed.
The Frenchman is physically capable of towering most in cases of setpieces, has a great link-up play and is also technically gifted. But for others, he is just another striker who lacks the cutting edge when it comes to big matches. His lack of speed and declining work rate haven’t helped either.
The arrival of fellow Frenchman Alexander Lacazette has been a huge blow for the aging striker, seeing him start only one game in the Premier League this season. Wenger has preferred the likes of Welbeck and Sanchez ahead of the Giroud this season. Today his playing time has been limited to Europa league and other smaller League cups.
With the World Cup around the corner, he is in dire need of more playing time to ensure a spot in the French national team starting XI. He is an imposing presence in the dressing room and still has Wenger’s backing but another season with the Gunners may prove costly for both the player and the club.
Let’s just get something straight. For a club like Arsenal at this stage, a player of Giroud’s status is quite a drag on its future, and keeping him any longer is just going to make matters worse for both parties. Sell him while clubs are still showing interest and use that money to bring in fresh young talents, something that Arsenal are good at, and with the recent changes in the management the hopes are high for the upcoming transfer window.
The game of football is fast evolving with each passing day the level of competition is flying through the roofs and credentials are flying out of the window. The only yardstick to guarantee a spot on the team is your performance. With the premiership out of sight its time Wenger realised this or we are in real danger of losing out on a top-four finish for the second season in a row.
