All this talk about Arsenal splashing out the millions on a new striker must be making Olivier Giroud very nervous indeed. We found out last season that the Frenchman is a sensitive soul and his game can be put off by the idea of Wenger buying a striker, or even by Thierry Henry saying that he is not good enough to win us the title.
But somehow Wenger has persuaded Olivier to sign a new (much improved?) contract to keep him at the club for the next three seasons, but did Wenger have to promise him that he would still be his first-choice centre-forward this season? We will probably never know but it is definitely a worry for Arsenal fans, although I doubt that Wenger will promise anyone an automatic place in the starting XI. Competition is key!
Giroud himself recently admitted that he did not like Henry’s comments but he won’t let it affect him on the pitch. “I know Thierry and I knew what he wanted to mean,” he said in the Telegraph. “If I see him we will have a conversation between two men. I’m not angry against him but it’s true that I didn’t understand at first. But it’s alright. I’m not going to be upset about that. I’m sleeping well and as long as my family is OK that’s the main thing. It doesn’t affect me too much.
“To be honest, when you are a footballer you don’t have to listen to people commenting about your performance. The main thing is not to have any doubt when you miss a chance or miss a game. The best thing is to forget about the comments straight away and to keep the head up and not let it affect your qualities.”
I can’t help remembering that Giroud’s form fell apart after Henry’s comments, so he obviously WAS upset, but will he take kindly to a new (improved) striker coming to Arsenal. He said publicly: “If there is a new striker it will be nice for all the team, because competition is good for everyone.”
I know Arsenal will be competing in four competitions so we definitely need two strikers – if Walcott doesn’t get moved to the centre, but I’m not sure that Giroud could be considered to be a supersub. I think he needs regular games to keep him sharp, so I’m a little worried about the effect on his confidence if left on the bench for long periods.
Who thinks he will be okay as second-choice hitman?