When Arsenal bought Alexandre Lacazette, everyone thought it would mean the end of Olivier Giroud’s Arsenal career, and Arsene Wenger even admitted that he called the Frenchman into his office to ask if he wanted to leave or not, but the striker decided to stay and fight for his place and said he “wanted to win the League with Arsenal”
He may now be regretting that after seeing the massive clearout of Arsenal players, and not to mention the fact that the Gunners have lost two of their first three games, and are already 6 points behind the leaders Manchester United. Things may suddenly change, but on present form it looks extremely unlikely that Arsenal will be challenging for the title (or anything else in fact!) and Oli has admitted that there is something fundamentally wrong right now.
After the Liverpool debacle, Giroud said: “I was ashamed when I left the pitch against Liverpool. We have to change something.
“I have decided to stay. It’s my choice, even if everyone does not understand it.
“I still want to win the Premier League here.”
I think everyone agrees that something has to change with most fans calling for Wenger’s head. Could it be that Giroud has also joined the WengerOut Brigade? Could Le Prof have lost the dressing room that much?
Admin
I would assume any half decent player still left in the team is regretting ever joining and would leave in a heartbeat if other teams were as stupid as us to pay such high wages. Such unambitious owners, staff and manager…
firstly, when we purchased Lacazette Giroud should have already been halfway out the door…this wasn’t meant to be an indictment on Giroud as a soccer player, I’ve always said he has some skills, but if this club was truly serious about turning the proverbial corner his removal would have made a clear statement of intent…of course, he wasn’t the only player on that list of necessary departures, Welbeck, Walcott, Wiltshire, Gibbs, Gabriel, Jenks, DeBouchy, Per and one of either Elheny or Coq should have been sold, whereas Chambers should have gone out on loan again…Monreal and Ramsey should have only stayed if they accepted a reduced role as primarily bench players, minus maybe Cup games…the team should have then purchased another 2 attacking options, both a younger striker to play behind Lacazette and a right side option with pace, first-touch capabilities and an eye for goal(keeping Perez as a back-up)…next, the seemingly endless need for a boss in the midfield should have finally be addressed…even if our first attempt didn’t come good, the very fact we made a legitimate effort to redress a long standing problem would lift spirits immeasurably…on the back-end, we would need to bring in 2 defenders, one to play centrally and the other for the right side(maybe a more veteran player to tutor Bellerin and provide some much needed competition)…finally, some of our youthful players should have rounded out our roster, giving them invaluable first-team playing time while being surrounded by higher priced world-class talent…this would have likewise eased our financial burden, making it easier to invest heavily in the transfer market…obviously I realize this would have been a tall order, but considering our previous failures and the way things played out last season, this was the least this club should have done to make amends and if they failed, it wasn’t from a lack of trying…ultimately I knew this wasn’t going to happen with this crew in charge, but keep in mind this was exactly what AC Milan and ManCity did in the off-season, so it certainly wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility…it might have even encouraged Sanchez to sign on and we could have avoided this frankly embarrassing mess
Wenger started losing control of the dressing last season, when Alexis first started airing his petulance.
Wenger shied away from confronting Alexis and the rest is history.
Wenger legacy will be that he built and then destroyed Arsenal FC. Once he leaves, Arsenal will be no better off, except for a shiny new stadium, which is yet to achieve an EPL or European Trophy.
Appreciate the loyalty he’s shown
Never blessed with supreme talent
But worked hard
Ppl will realise when ox is tutored by an actual coach like klopp that 40 mill has bought them a huge European player in the making
I will stand by what I said …he has everything . The football brain Theo gene is wengers influence an lack of development .
I am gutted .
Rubbish player if we can get 3m for him bite the buyers hand off
I never rated him along with some other Arsenal players who are currently in the team.After years of mediocrity now they say he’s the best super sub ever.We’re a joke of a club.
Wenger’s been loyal to too many mediocre players.What people don’t know is that the Wenger system makes players play better than they actually should be playing.That’s why most developed Arsenal players who leave don’t do well after some few seasons.
…the Wenger system makes players play better!!?? Players played in wrong positions, best players on the bench – sure, that will make them play better won’t it!!!
Right up the year he came we were playing some of the best football games not only in the premier league and Europe but in the world, we were respected looked up to and admired even by our opponents for the style of our game. Since the team play has been adopted to suit his one and only single skill we play ugly football which no one wants to watch, we most definitely are not admired anymore in fact we have become a joke. he is symptomatic of why the good players cant wait to get out. I know turn I off whenever he is on the pitch it’s pathetic to watch.
I have to say I agree with you, muff. The Ox is entering his best years, having gone through the teething stages with Arsenal. I think he is going to improve Liverpool significantly. He is pacy, strong and dribbles well (most dribbles stat many times). I think he’s gotten over his injury troubles and I can hear many saying afterwards how Wenger has probably cost him his fitness in the past. He’s been brilliant for us and will be even more so at ‘Pool, since he may get to play in the forward areas, which Klopp may have promised him.
His goals in all competitions for Arsenal is 20 goals and he missed 154 games through injuries. I think Liverpool are getting him at the right stage of his development.
Play Laca and OG together and we win Stoke and against Liverpool we might have got a lead and then perhaps a loss but OG when starting is very good getting the first goal of the game. His presence up front allows everyone to run off him. I still remember his pass to Laca right before the corner that he put away.
Rubbish football player. He should have been the FIRST one out the door. The sooner he goes the better then we can get back to playing PROPER FOOTBALL. We have had him for 4 or 5 years now as the main striker and with all the chances created he still cant score 20 goals in a season. Lacks quality at this level. Lacks the pace and the skill sets required, no class. Oh well there is always the donkey kick to remember him by WHAT AN ARTISTE??? Another gem from the Arsene vaults of players he;s foisted upon us. Some people have become so used to the dirge being served up they are actually believing Giroud can play football
I never rated him along with some other Arsenal players who are currently in the team.After years of mediocrity now they say he’s the best super sub ever.We’re a joke of a club.
Wenger’s been loyal to too many mediocre players.What people don’t know is that the Wenger system makes players play better than they actually should be playing.That’s why most developed Arsenal players who leave don’t do well after some few seasons.
hes not useless just never shouldve been our main striker for 5 years. Has always been squad level quality. That’s not his fault, that is Arsene and the boards fault for being dumb enough to think Giroud can lead us to a title. He can’t. Neither can Arsene though, so theres that too, haha.
The only way out is a new owner. Kroenke is making us the wounded animal of the premier league with Citeh and LFC circling around for the kill – making us candidates for his idiot hunting channel. Kroenke is the glass ceiling, he won’t let us use our own money, as he is using it for collateral, if someone else takes over, they will assess Wenger, but that will never happen under Kroenke. I can’t see us making the top 6 even this year – other teams have strengthened, but we have weakened. But that’s ok – we are posting a profit…
Unfortunately Wenger is not a part of the clearout…praying for that day to come soon…
He is smart to know that he is lucky enough to be in Arsenal. Arsenal is the only club in the world that will still give you game time even when you play like a highschool kids. Ox will learn the hard way, no one will remember who ox is 2-3 years later
His injury record isn’t good – Klopp is high energy, hard pressing – Wenger wrapped him in cotton wool. I just don’t see it working out.
Agree. Klopp could unlock his potential, or he could revert back to the unreliable, always injured, underwhelming Ox that we were used to seeing prior to last season. He was showing signs of his potential last season. That’s all we really got out of him after all this time at Arsenal. Goodbye for 40mill. Too bad this actually weakens us which just shows how pathetic our team is.
40 mil is useless to me and any other fan if the club doesn’t spend it on buying a replacement. Therefore, the moment he suggested he didn’t want to play for the team, I would have located him on the reserves and told him to rot there.
Arsene is too nice to his players, sometimes you have to be ruthless. But I don’t think he’s purely to blame, I’ve always said that Kroenke is the main man and he’s the reason why we’re doing so badly. Honestly, look at our statistics before and after he took over!
When Sanchez leaves,Arsenal have the 2 French guys and Wellbeack as out right strikers.Walcott is a winger/striker.Compared to the top forwards they are one rung below these guys.However Wenger has a penchant for deploying players not in their natural positions. This is one flaw in his overall management.Enough has been said about his incompetence and tactical naivety.
He is the problem and Arsenal are becoming the laughing stock of the fw thanks to the arrogance of this guy.Who can ever forget the 8-2 mauling and heavy defeats at the hands of MC/Chelsea and Pool.
Arsenal have degenerated the last 10 years and if nothing is done to arrest this decline,it would soon be in free fall.Anyone including my 89 yr grandpa who said the endless passing is to blame.
When you can win its ok but more often the gunners lose.
It all points to massive in fighting within the club, between AW and the board, with Kroenke standing back and saying he doesn’t care, as long as he makes a profit. Wenger is doing his usual squabbling over trying to save a few pence over transfers, and letting them slip, while wasting millions through not playing players (Joel Campbell, Lucas Perez), selling players for less than they’re worth (Woj, Gibbs – who we rejected 10m for and have now sold for 7m), and not renewing contracts, saying players will honour their last year with no problems, which is clearly not the case, and it is not only stoked up by the players, but agents and press as well. I think Kroenke has weighed in and said he needs a certain amount of money by the end of the window, which is why we have not bought, and are panic selling, due to his new expanded NFL stadium plans needing more money. We were supposed to be a self sustaining club, NOT sustaining Kroenke’s NFL projects. We are way behind the pace, and I feel we will struggle to stay in the EPL next year, unless we get rid of Kroenke, and have an evaluation of Wenger under a new owner. Obviously the players know about all this infighting, and are involved to some degree, which accounts for the poor pitch performances.
IS OK REALLY GOING TO LIVERPOOL? A TEAM THAT FINISHED ABOVE US LAST SEASON? STREGNTENEN OUR RIVALS? I HATE THIS SEASON ALREADY
Really hope nothing goes wrong with this transfer – after all we have to do something to WEAKEN our rivals! Don’t suppose we could also off-load Ramsey and Walcott while we’re at it? How many years have these 2 wasted trying to improve into top players? It’s not going to happen so let’s get rid!
… and I don’t think Man Utd have stopped laughing ever since they dumped Welbeck on us!
To be quite honest I think it’s best bit of business we’ve done for years. To get £40 million on the eve of the window for an average player who’s scored something like 9 goals in over 100 games. Well, hallelujah, I thought we were going to be stuck with him for another year. It’s a start, now let Wenger and the Board go with him
Cech, Ospina, Debuchy, Ramsey, Giroud, Walcott, Mertesacker plus Wenger, Bould, Kronke and Gazidis should join those that have already left for a total clearout. Bring in Mr Usmanov along with David Dein and jobs on the coaching staff for Thierry Henry and the one and only Dennis Bergkamp
13 gps in the epl, goodbye, we win the league 2 yrs ago if he does not forget how to score goals for 11 matches…
Have never understood fans hatred for Giroud.
Sure, he can’t win us the league on his own, but he being only striker at Arsenal for few years is not his fault.
Also agreed, he misses chances, however does his game changing sub-appearances, work rate, aerial prowess, assists, defensive work count for nothing? Maybe we could just play to his strengths for once and see if the guy can provide something useful.
THATS BOLLOCKS, have you ever seen a a proper game of football played by good world class players ? If you had you would understand that, that’s what we should be striving towards, not heading back to the stone age lumping balls up to a big club who will miss 9 out of 10 chances