The arrival of Alexandre Lacazette at Arsenal has thrown the future of Olivier Giroud under the spotlight. The 30-year-old has not stated his intention to leave The Emirates Stadium, but ahead of The World Cup next summer, he won’t want to play second fiddle to a man who he starts ahead of for the French national team.
The player wants to start every game but Wenger is not used to playing a double strike force and for a £53m record signing, he is not expected to remain on the bench.
Giroud has been rumoured by The Metro to be wanted by Borussia Dortmund as the German club mull over replacements for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who it seems is edging closer to a move to Chelsea according to reports. Giroud, in the last 5 years has scored an impressive 69 premier League goals, only behind Harry Kane, Sergio Aguero and Romelu Lukaku.
The rationale behind Giroud leaving is understandable as he won’t be content with a place on the bench, but Arsenal can’t afford to lose him at this time. Manager Arsene Wenger signed a contract extension with the 13-time English champions that will see him in The Emirates dugout for at least the next two years, and he will feel that he can bow out with a league title and Giroud could yet play a part in that.
Giroud holds the ball up well, and is a physically imposing striker that offers another dimension to Arsenal’s attacking line. Lacazette, for all his finishing ability doesn’t have the physicality to out muscle hard-as-nails defenders in the mould of Ryan Shawcross and the Sebastian Prodl.
To win the league title, the goals must be spread throughout the squad and when the tide of the game changes, Giroud is your man. He will be hard to replace, they don’t come like him anymore, and Arsenal may pay dearly for what might be seen as a transfer gaffe should le Boss decide his time is up at The Emirates.
