Olivier Giroud was never the answer, but that didn’t stop him from being a very good striker during his time at Arsenal.

Giroud spent six years at Arsenal and scored 105 goals, yet few were ever convinced he was the one.

The conversation about him always amounted to one thing: Giroud, for all his strengths, wasn’t the striker that Arsenal needed. He wasn’t the type of striker we all wanted.

He wasn’t quick like Henry, nor as graceful or clinical as van Persie. On the whole, he simply wasn’t as good as those two.

Yet, there was nothing wrong with his application. He gave 100% in every game, and made the most out of the talents he did have: his power, hold-up play, link-up play, clever runs to the near post and heading ability.

Thanks to that, he became the fourth highest goalscorer in Arsene Wenger’s tenure as manager. He’s scored more goals for the club than Dennis Bergkamp, Robert Pires and Freddie Ljungberg.

Not bad at all for a striker who has been written off time and again.

We often lamented his lack of pace, and the press enjoyed pointing out his limitations. In 2016, he was deemed not good enough to win Arsenal the title. A year before, his good performances were ignored and he was dismissed as first choice.

If Arsenal failed to win a game, he’d be one of the first players to be blamed.

The admirable thing about Giroud is that he never let the criticism damage his confidence.

He was strong-willed when everyone wanted another striker. If he was dropped to the bench, he would come back and start scoring again.

Last season, when he lost his first team place for much of the season, he didn’t mope around and push to leave. Instead, he made the most of his limited minutes by scoring whenever he came on.

These weren’t just goals to add gloss to a winning scoreline. They were decisive, match-winning goals.

Even in the summer, when he could have walked away after the club signed Alexandre Lacazette, he stayed and gave it a go.

It’s hard to dislike Giroud for his time at the club. Now that he’s left, we can appreciate that, actually, he was never that bad.