Should Arsenal cash in on Olivier Giroud?

The Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud has been in the news a lot lately. After scoring an exquisite top corner strike against Sweden on international duty, the Frenchman is now being linked with a move to Arsenal’s London rivals, West Ham. If reports from the Evening Standard are to be believed, Hammers’ boss Slave Bilic is desperate to revitalise his attack and has made Giroud his number one target.

Despite always turning up for France, the case has unfortunately been very different for the Frenchman at club level, with the player being benched in favour of Alexis Sanchez in the early part of the season and largely taking up the role of an impact sub as the season progressed and his situation does not look likely to improve with the Gunners being linked with the likes of Mbappe and Lacazette.

So would Giroud actually move to West Ham? Well, it is easy to see why West Ham would be interested in the player. Slave Bilic likes to play with a targetman up front and with Andy Carroll always crocked, it would make sense to move for a more reliable and consistent alternative in the form of Giroud, especially considering that he’s proven in the Premier League.

But while the interest is most certainly there, I just cannot see Arsenal selling him. Despite all the criticism he gets, the handsome striker has notched up almost a hundred goals for the Gunners and while he may not be a striker who can lead a time to the title, he is most certainly a valuable asset. Besides, he signed a new contract in January and confirmed last week that he wants to stay at Arsenal and win the Premier League.

“I am not insensitive to the approaches of the French clubs and especially that of Marseille,” Giroud said. “But my future is in the Premier League. I still have titles to win.

“After the FA Cup, we will go for the league title. That’s my goal.”

Should Arsenal keep him or let him move to the Hammers?

AT

36 Comments

  1. If there’s a good/big enough offer then yes (£22-28 million) But i’d keep him as he’s a good bench option / rotation Striker.

    He’s done well for us, but we always look a better team when we have an abundance of mobility i.e Welbeck (despite his finishing) he allows Sanchez and Ozil to play their natural game.

    Either promote Sanchez to ST full-time or bring in someone new; not sure who though.

    1. According to BBC’s latest news, Lyon is willing to sell Lacazette to Arsenal, as long as they get Giroud plus money. I think this news is good and bad.

      Giroud is always a reliable goalscorer for France, whereas Lacazette is the third option after Giroud and Griezmann. Giroud can score a lot of goals for France, because he has great supports and the team’s strategy works well with his strength and skills.

      Suppose this deal really happens, I hope the fans will be ready if Lacazette will need some time to adjust himself to Arsenal’s football style. Lacazette will not be able to dominate the air duels like Giroud, as he is much shorter, and there will be no more Giroud to save Arsenal from the set-pieces.

      I think Arsenal should go through with this deal, even though the result could be better or worse. Because we have seen that Giroud relies too much on his teammates to perform well, which doesn’t always happen in Arsenal.

  2. Arsenal would be looking for around £20m for Giroud, who would want £100,000 per week and a long contract

  3. If he’s happy being used mainly as a super sub, with the odd start here and there, then I’d definitely keep him. He is a good striker, and great in the air, but he has never suited our style of play. He’s been our main striker for four years, and about half of last season, but it hasn’t really worked. He was excellent coming from the bench last season, so keep with that I’d say.

    Wenger only plays one upfront, and he doesn’t utilise Giroud’s aerial threat enough, so we need pace, and mobility, that correctly suit Wenger’s style of play. Our formation has changed, but the style of play is still the same.

  4. the match between England and France prove to us why arsenal will never be a top club not only because of the manager but also fans we praise a bellow average player ox Chamberlain but look at the defence between him and the young French players we will never improve from where we’re because we have to much faith mediocrity we are not improving because of these players ox Wolcott Ramsey ozil Jack Wilshire Francis Coquelin Danny Welbeck there are a lot of young exciting play out there who can improve us

    1. OX and Ramsey have been playing quite well recently mate. All the others on your list I fully support them leaving the club.

    2. @ JamaicanArsenal I second your thought, sorry to say this but its the truth we are moving forward as A club because of the British players plus Coquelin! They are not improving yet they must play.

      The Truth is Bitter!
      Wenger’s gatto Swallow it!

  5. Yes ship him out!!! In my opinion Giroud has stayed at Arsenal 2 seasons too many. Anything over 20M for him will be good business considering he is a France international…

  6. It’s sods law that Giroud had to go an complicate things by picking up really good form recently for club and country. However, one thing that cannot be swept under the carpet so easily is that fact that Giroud is not a pacy clinical striker that will get 20+ goals a season. He has a good goals return but not excellent. Ideally he is a great “plan B”, but as it has become clear that he is unhappy in that role so it is only fair that the consideration to move him on is entertained. I would prefer that if we did sell him to Lyon then it is done in a completely separate deal rather than a package exchange deal. This would enable Arsenal to maximise profits on his sale.

  7. Yes we should. Wenger likes technical players but Giroud is a donkey, judging by his goal against Sweden (which was lucky) he doesn’t know how to get his foot over the ball when he shoots. If he had been further away from the goal the ball would have gone over the bar.

    1. He hit it with the outside of his foot, couldn’t have hit it sweeter, beautiful strike.

  8. Lyon president is rumoured to want giroud as part of lacazette transfer deal. Could be the way to go.
    Personally i dont care if sanchez goes to city now for a decent fee after all if wenger digs his heals in and makes him see out his contract he will probably still go to city for free. In the meantime he sulks for a season and upsets our dressing room.

  9. The Lyon president is supposedly in London to thrash out a swap deal involving Girould + cash for Lacazette. This news is strange considering everyone involved are supposed to be in France ATM lol.
    Maybe they got their capital cities wrong or maybe Lacazette is having a medical in London? Fork knows.

    Other rumours suggest that Giroud is keen on moving to West Ham, a £100,000 a week, four year deal has apparently been offered.
    Wenger has given him the green light if he wants to move.
    If this is true then it looks as if Lamp post is deliberately throwing a spanner in the works with Arsenal’s player plus cash deal with Lyon for Lacazette.

    Munich moaning about Sanchez wanting too much money!?? I thought he wanted trophies instead of money?

    Arsenal to bid £30 million for Smalling ? ? surely not another injury prone buy or is there some truth in Koss the Boss forking off back to France??

      1. Nope! He has gone backwards. Probably see him moving to West Ham. Mo wouldn’t sell to Arsenal anyway.

        1. Fats, yes moureen would for thirty large considering united want 15 million for him and west ham have supposedly bid 10. Where did 30 million come from ?…..suppose we might be dumb enough to spend that on another british core waste of a shirt. If we are after another cb imo only one option…Howedes…can play anywhere across the back and could come cheap…arsene likes cheap !

    1. The reason why we have Giroud complaining of game time is because we’ve had him competing with average players for too long. I bet he won’t expect to be first choice ahead of Aguero or Lewandowski. Giroud is a unique player that will get you of jail at the most unexpected time, he thrives on competition, he brings a physicality to our game and he can play one touch football not forgetting how selfless he is as a player. Unlike Debuchy who automatically wanted to be first choice even if Bellerin was performing way better than him, Giroud actually delivers when called upon from the bench, Giroud’s only sin is that he is not blessed with pace to break clear of defences but in every other aspect, he is the perfect striker, even Ozil’s assists dried up when Giroud was absent. Get him good competition and we’ll get the best out of him.

      1. His shot accuracy can be off, way off if we’re comparing him to the perfect marksmen, that’s another black mark.

        Unfortunately, pace is a big deal in today’s game, for strikers and defenders, more so for strikers. A defence can play a high line and that’s Giroud out of the game. Or they know who to watch, the wide men, and can do it without worrying about Giroud leaving any defender behind.

  10. Arsenal look set to lose the race for Jordan Pickford with Everton having agreed a £30m fee with Sunderland for the young goalkeeper, according to the Sun.

    1. Wouldn’t it be funny if Lacazette came over here and scored 15 league goals and then Giroud left and bagged 25 over there.

  11. Last season I said keep him as he’s a very good bench option. I think we should get rid. He done well last season but Arsene used him in games he shouldn’t have, so if he’s not here that wont happen. Say we sign a striker and keep Alexis, then it sounds good to also have Giroud there. But can we trust Arsene to keep him on the bench, Alexis was a front runner for golden boot but Arsene had an inspiration. And if we lose Alexis which is likely, Giroud has more chance of playing. Alexis replacement might be a winger who can’t play the positions Alexis does. Best to bring in a striker, and bring in another one if Alexis leaves so to replace Giroud. I don’t think we’ll get two strikers and a winger though, even if Giroud left along with Alexis I don’t think we’d get them. For some reason Arsene hasn’t been taking the CF role very seriously over a number of years.

  12. Giroud is a good backup option in my opinion. I’d rather Arsenal sell Welbeck than Giroud.

  13. Can’t believe the stick Giroud gets sometimes. The guy saved our bacon so many times I’ve lost count. He scores, he assists, he defends, he works his socks off… the only criticism that I have of him is that he can’t really create chances on his own. Other than that, I’d say he’s been a fantastic acquisition for us; he still has enough desire, hunger, power and strength to play at a high level for another couple of years; and I really hope he stays.

  14. I say Giroud should stay……..Arsenal want Lacazette for his mobility and goal scoring ability……..that’s what Welbeck was supposed to do…….but he can’t score enough………logically if you have to sell one of them then…..it is Welbeck……..better for us if we retain our strikers and add Lacazette………

  15. Sell Giroud. Welbeck is more versatile, can play both on the wings and in the center and can also play a fast game on the counter. Giroud is getting old and seems to have a motivational problem.
    He goes quite when he sure he is the man and then only picks up his game once benched or passed on for a few games. He is already moaning that he wants more playing time which would unlike happen if Wenger spends 60 million on a striker.

    Get rid of this average player and give the other player a chance.

  16. Convert Giroud to a midfielder or a false 9, he is useful for several reasons as he’s got killer passes/assist, areal ball, best header in EPL, out muzzles defenders when in that position and sets up our new strikers for goals…he’s heading ability wld be vital for goals during corner kicks as a midfielder…this guy wld be missed if we sell him o.

  17. Again I’m not getting this !
    One very important aspect of any attacking line is diversity…..can anyone tell me in the last 6 years at least what player we had was good in air ? He gives us that advantage…..
    It is not a question of should we sell him….it is really a question of does he want to stay in a club that does not seem capable of using him in the best way…..
    A problem with us is that we seem to bring some players who performed well where they were playing…and after we bring them we expect them to change to “fit” the arsenal way….if we wanted a fast player who can overtake a couple of defenders to score a goal then we had no business signing him in the first place….we knew exactly that those are not what he is good at.

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