Arsenal forward Theo Walcott has stated that Olivier Giroud is annoyed at his lack of first-team action.
The Frenchman was injured at the start of the Premier League campaign, and manager Arsene Wenger opted to field a makeshift forward in Alexis Sanchez in the role, which has worked out extremely well.
The Chilean has now stamped his mark on the centre-forward position and Giroud can’t displace him from the starting XI at present, despite his own upturn in form when coming off the bench.
Olivier has bagged himself four goals off the bench this term, with those goals earning his side a draw with Paris Saint-Germain, a draw with Manchester United, and two goals against Sunderland after coming on with the scores tied with 20 minutes to go.
Theo Walcott has now moved to praise the striker, before revealing his frustration at being limited in his chances.
“Olivier’s strengths are fantastic,” Walcott said.
“I know he will be frustrated with the amount of games he has not played but, if you look at his scoring record and how effective he has been when he has been on the pitch – again [on Sunday against Bournemouth], coming off the bench and grabbing an assist.
“It just shows he keeps on reminding the manager what he can do.”
Is it just a matter of time before Arsene Wenger shares the centre-forward role between Giroud and Alexis? Will Christmas force the manager to give Sanchez a break at some point? Will the return of Welbeck and Lucas Perez limit Olivier further?
Pat J