Almost as if we knew he’d come off the bench to rescue Arsenal against Southampton, this post was written before Sunday’s match.
Olivier Giroud has been linked with an Arsenal exit in the winter window (and isn’t denying it), but we’ve think that would be a rather stupid decision.
Everton, West Ham, Crystal Palace and Southampton have all been linked with a January transfer, and with the World Cup coming up in the summer, it’s possible Olivier might have his eyes turned.
But here’s why Arsène Wenger should ignore the calls:
1Giroud provides a major threat from the bench
In the 2016/17 campaign, when Alexis Sanchez became the club’s starting centre-forward, Giroud had to settle for substitute appearances, for the most part. Nonetheless, he still managed to rack up a fair number of goals, so much so that he’s now one of the top scoring substitutes in Premier League history.
We did an article on Olivier’s substitute goal record back in October, when he was joint fifth in the all-time Premier League rankings with 14 goals.
Since then, he’s added two more [three after Southampton], which takes him above Peter Crouch and Daniel Sturridge.
A very useful asset for the club to have.
2The striker chose to stay, when he had the option to leave
It’s becoming an increasingly rare thing in the Arsenal dressing room, for a player to actually want to stay past the expiry of their original contract. The Gunners appear to be clinging on to star players like Mesut Özil and Alexis Sanchez, and are struggling to get the pair tied down.
Among all that, Olivier signed a new contract earlier in the year, and when he had the option to leave over the summer, he said (via Football365.com): “There was something in my soul and in my heart which told me to stay.”
Loyalty, and a love for the club that goes beyond the next pay cheque, is hard to find nowadays. So I wouldn’t let go of it too easily.
3He’s a different kind of striker to Arsenal’s other options
Alexandre Lacazette is a fantastic purchase.
He’s clinical, he links up play well, and he’s still young enough to have his best years ahead of him. Nonetheless, there are some things he doesn’t offer, as with any player.
A 6’4″ aerial presence is one of those things.
In games where Arsenal need something different, or even when Lacazette just needs a break, Giroud provides the answer.
If the Gunners do let him go, they need to replace him with a similar type of player. Finding one as good as Olivier could be very difficult, especially without the guarantee of first-team football every week.
Overall, there are arguments for both sides.
Maybe Arsenal should let Giroud leave for more game time ahead of the World Cup, and maybe they should cash in before it’s too late.
But I just hope Wenger considers all of the above ahead of his final decision.