It’s another Gunnervlog, today James talks about Olivier Giroud who, earlier this week, spoke about how unhappy he was at playing so little.
“Of course, I won’t be happy with another year playing so little,” he said. “I’ll have a proper think and talk to my family and the people who advise me.
“I still have two to three years left on my contract at Arsenal. My future, for now, is at Arsenal, I feel good and want to win the Premier League, but you never know what the future holds.”
Anyway, here are James’ thoughts, and remember to like and subscribe to the @gunnerblog YouTube channel.
He’s had almost five years as our first choice striker. And in that time, he’s shown us that he’s not world-class and cannot carry a team.
Big truth!!!
There are very very few WC CFs, so who do you think we should have bought instead (that was genuinely ‘for sale’, would join us, and would fit our budget)?
Mbappe
I’d be happy for us to get Mbappe but there’s no way he can be called a WC striker yet (potentially WC but not yet)and I’m not sure we can afford him and the other players that we need.
Mbappe is 18 and already better than Giroud
Sanogo was awesome as a youth player.
By your standards he was better then than Giroud…
Really, Mbappe has enormous potential but to say he’s already better is ridiculous..
5 years ago he was 13.
Yes… He shows some potential but not a solid proven Striker.
Oh little goldfish, do you not remember all our miserable failed chases?
Before you say they were not realistic, we lost Higuain to Napoli.
Foggys been thumbed down to hell for stating a fact. Or do you all think that he’s all we need plus some cover for him? Give me a break.
I want a WC striker, but there aren’t many around.
As for Higuaín, he was out of our budget…
Last summer, yes. But not in summers past.
We had a budget and certain players we wanted (needed?) to buy.
The available balance wasn’t enough to buy Higuaín as soon Napoli got involved and RM put his price up.
Nobody said anything about a Forward being all Arsenal needs. The topic of this discussion is Giroud.
Higuain.
Diego Costa….
Do you really think he’ll be sold to a PL club? Or are you suggesting we missed out on him from Athletico.
As a side-note, his agent is someone the club prefer not to be involved with…
In REFERENCE TO DIEGO.
Unless he wants to sit for 5 months he’s not going back to Atlético. He has already stated publicly he doesn’t want to sit. He wants to play. As bad as Arsenal need a quality forward, it’s extremely childish and unprofessional they can’t work with his agent. Let’s grow up people. This is professional Football. He needs a club and Arsenal need him. How’d Arsenal like 2 players that score 20 goals a season? Eh??!!
Sanchez and Costa up front baby!!
Talking about growing up, if you think for one moment that Chavski will sell Costa to another PL club then you really do need to grow up.
They got stung with cech when he was promised freedom to move by their owner, but unless he’s done that again, they won’t be strengthening any other PL club.
How were they stung?
We’ve won nothing at their expense because of Cech.
So why was MaureenO so pissed that we got him?
That comment has nothing to do with how valuable he is to our club. He fed Ramsey our FA cup winning goal. He comes on the pitch and scores at a very impressive rate. We should never be leaving it to one striker to carry a team.
That “world class” phrase is useless to me.
There are so few of them that it’s pure luck to get one as they’re so rarely available. We were spoilt by having Henry and GOD together, but we haven’t really had anyone else at that level at any other time.
It’s not “pure luck”. This isn’t the slot machines. It’s very difficult, and it requires a dose of luck along with lots of other factors, like money. But based on your comments on this thread, you seem to think we should just be happy with Giroud and not expect or seriously try for better, because any upgrade would be next to impossible (no, you don’t say this explicitly, but that’s the tenor of all your “name me someone we could have gotten” comments). This is simultaneously ridiculously defeatist, and ridiculously exaggerating Giroud’s quality. He’s got a very useful niche skill… Read more »
I suggest you re-read my comments then and you’ll see that I’d really like us to get the fabled ‘WC’ striker. The problem moaning about a very good player (like Giroud)because he’s not WC is that you need to have a WC player available at a price you can afford, before you can replace him… And that’s a lot more difficult than some of the half-wits think it is… When you don’t have a bottomless pit of money to throw at a player, then you have to look at potential. Although It’s easy to say a guy was clearly going… Read more »
Completely agree with the “we should never be leaving it to one striker to carry a team” comment. The greater threat is always having a variety of options available (including the option of playing 2 together at times)…Of course that only really works if we can keep them both/all fit, otherwise we become a one trick pony & easy to plan against.
Would like to keep Giroud, think he is definately worthwhile, but he just can’t be our only option, & even he needs to acknowledge & understand that.
I agree that “world class” is useless. Here’s the point: Giroud is not good enough to be the first choice centre forward for a team with serious pretensions of challenging for the very top honours. Is it *possible* that we could win the league starting Giroud in every match? Of course it bloody is, Leicester won the league, let’s not forget. But that’s besides the point, which is that any other team in Europe that’s seriously, realistically, ambitious to be an elite club would prioritize trying to improve on Giroud as main striker.
Hmmm! We brought in Podolski at the same time and though he was hyped he was not as good (N.A.G.) as a lone striker, Theo Walcott N.A.G, Danny Welbeck N.A.G. and Perez again N.A.G but clinical. Giroud is available (not injured often but if so recovers quickly) more often than not and therefore can be counted upon. He can hold up the ball. He gets others involved in the play. He can spot a pass (just go check where he ranks in the team for assists). He is good in the box position wise and very powerful. And most of… Read more »
Giroud is a traditional Plan B in mold (target man, physical force to tie out the game). Man City had the same at their most recent height, with Aguero and Dzeko. Alexis and Giroud is a smart combination for a two-top, or for lone leaders of the frontline.
We need to hold onto Giroud to challenge the league. 25 useful, consistent players, not a top 11. Giroud definitely fits our bill with his unique skillset.
One VERY important facet to the whole “team working” issue is no matter what players are on the field, they have to be used efficiently and in a productive manner. Enter Wenger., exit quality…
I think most people have always known Oli is a solid squad player but no more. Even in his most productive games, his limitations can be glaringly obvious. I suppose the decision for him may be bit part player and a big club or starter at a Stoke or Southampton. We always get his record thrown at us if there is criticism but stats don’t show those games where he is of absolutely no instrinic value whatsoever. And it’s those games where we drop vital points.
Big LOL at the negative rating! That was a very well put comment and very truthful. Can any of those “thumbs down” thin skin Arsenal fans comment? Why did you thumb this down? What, unless comments goes like “he’s the best striker in the league and the best one we’ve had since Henry”, it’ll get thumbs down? Time to be realistic about the true strenght of our squad and show a little more ambition.
Some of us don’t live on the extremes of the opinion spectrum and see the qualities and value of a very good striker. Slagging Giroud off cheaply will indeed get some reactions, especially if you claim ‘most of us share my opinion’. Nothing to be surprised at, really.
He’d do very well in other leagues as well, so Stoke is a long way down his list of options.
I think it was meant as starting against Stoke.
Maybe, but is doesn’t read like that.
There have been great strikers who do not create their own goals in football. Trezeget, Raul, Inzaghi even Nilsteroy who to me has same kind of technique as Giroud. Nobody could call these guys squad players just because they do not dribble accross the field.
Is it just me or do the comments seem like they’re baiting?
Raul Inzaghi Nistelroy and Giroud?
Yes, and they were all clearly better than Giroud. What’s your point?
When the team plays to him he’s much more often than not fantastic. I think you’ll see in most of those matches where he wasn’t delivering there was no service whatsoever and we failed as a team. All strikers suffer in these conditions.
? Giroud’s a spaz…No sense of team. Don’t blame the whole team for his lack of professionalism. In his defence, though the biggest culprit by far, he’s not the only guilty party.
Giroud’s a what? It doesn’t matter if he is a good or bad player in your highly valuable opinion, calling anyone that is disgusting and shouldn’t be tolerated. Have a word with yourself sunshine.
“fantastic”? “good”, “solid”, “effective”, ok. but “fantastic”???? it’s at this point that I despair of finding common ground with my fellow fans. are we watching the same team??
He would be golden boot winner every season, if only he had the service from wide that he thrives on. Im not a big fan, due to the lack of pace and effort, but when he plays we need to adapt the game and get some width and crosses in. Or a top sub when defenders are tired. Nice hair too.
I think he gets more than enough service in general. He’s just pretty wasteful. And that tends to be exacerbated in big games.
We should keep Giroud has he gives us strength and height that we don’t have from other players in the squad up front.
It’s not good in every game but some games it is to hold the ball up for the pacey players and if we get crosses in the box, also good at helping in defence on corners.
He won’t play all the games but with the Europa league he should be playing once a week.
My own option but I say keep him.
Agreed, and he can still be our super sub for Prem games
I love Giroud. I especially love how he took the smile off those smug Man utd fans after he did the ?
As long as he’s not our 1st choice Striker, I’m more than ok with him on the team. He can definitely contribute and he’s above average but not what we need to rise back to the top
Please suggest a ‘1st choice’ striker that’s within our budget, available and would join us?
Mbappe
Lacazette
Morata
I like Morata but he repeatedly says that he’s a Real Madrid fan and is happy to stay at the club to fight for his place.
So we’d only stand a chance if RM really want to sell him, which it appears they don’t.
Ok but id swap him for Andy Carroll tomorrow.
LOL. that was just for bantz, right?
Yeah right..
Lacazette isn’t really a PL style striker. A bit short and tends to be more effective when the opposition aren’t parking the bus.
Having said that, I like him but he’s not the fabled ‘World Class’ striker. He seems to go missing in many of the bigger games and we certainly wouldn’t be able to rely on him to change a game any more than we do on our HFB.
IMO He’d be a good addition to the squad but not ‘The One’.
If Giroud stayed on his feet more,stops checking his hair on big screens, puts in half the effort of Niall eeeaaaw Quinn and had decent service he would be that world class striker. If only…
You didn’t say, “please name ‘the one'”, you said “please name a ‘first choice striker'”, by which I gather you mean, someone who would be a clear upgrade on Giroud as our starting CF, since the premise of the comments with which you’re disagreeing is not that Giroud is terrible, but that he is, at best, a good plan B to have on the bench. I think the label “world class” is pretty much meaningless since it means different things to different people, but if the question is, “is Lacazette a clear upgrade on Giroud” then I think you have… Read more »
I think you’d have to be a major optimist to say that Lacazette is a clear upgrade on Giroud in a league Lacazette has never played in before…
yes, because there’s no way to tell if a player is likely to be any good in a league in which he’s never played…
Diego Costa…
Made this exact point last summer. Adding players isn’t like going to the grocery and simply picking something you can afford. Player availability is contingent on so many other factors. If it were that simple, all “WC” talent would be consolidated around 5 teams in Europe.
So would you have Welbeck or Theo ahead of him? Not even going to ask if you would have have them as a 1st choice.
None of the three of them have proven consistent
You are pretty good in photoshop mr. Blog
Actually, I think his movement is great…in the box when wingers are putting quality balls in.
buy Mbappe please please please Arsene………100 mil………….throw in debuchy sanogo walcott jenkinson gibbs and ospina…and some frogs legs
please please
I’ve been able to subscribe through Arseblog but, dont know how to post likes.
PS Giroud, off the bench, a quality addittion.
I don’t understand why there is speculation surrounding Giroud. It’s only been a few months since he signed a new contract. Our intention is to keep him and he openly said many times he wants to stay at Arsenal.
Giroud is here to stay and he will get game time. End of….
Any talk of a potential Giroud exit is only to destabilize the club.
I know, but you can argue that there is certain attitude in the club in which they are willing to let go a player if he is not happy. I say, screw that, they shouldn’t weaken the team so some player can get their way.
It’s gonna be decided when we get another striker though, if we get Lacazette i think we won’t sell him since we can try to pair Giroud and Lacazette in some occasions. But if we get Mbappe(probably won’t happening) i think we’ll consider to sell him although i think that’s a poor decision.
He is a good back up, but not good enough to be the main striker. We need a top class striker, for years, we have it on Sanchez but somehow he prefer to be a winger and so we have to find another one. With Mbappe and Lacazette rumors i think we are on the right track for now, although i still hope someday we try to get Aubameyang this summer, he is better than those two imo.
The decision to keep Sanchez at the winger position was Arsen Wenger’s
He is better than aguero and as good if not better and far less biteier than suarez as a striker. Why wenger??
So what?
The previous comment was a response to a comment on Sanchez “choosing” to play in the winger position
Giroud is an amazing stricker in my view and I would be very disappointed should he leave. I think he is underestimated and has still a lot of potential and I think he can be a wold class player. Only when he plays with arsenal I want to watch the game more so than any other player. There is no one like him and the club will be making a big mistake on loosing him. The team should be built around him and he will provide.
Sorry guys ! ….Ollie scores goals end of ! Oh & handsomely btw Wing backs will suit him so keep him & cheer him on After all he’s a Gooner !!
16 goaals in 16 starts for France…hardly a plan B. He starts ahead of Lacazette for starters. Hat trick in the last game against Paraguay, all from 6 yard box. He times his runs very well and finishes unlike Welbeck who has conspired to miss some sitters in front of an empty net recently. Giroud also does so much more than score goals as illustrated amply in the assist to Ramsey. Talk about his pace is frankly trite. He isn’t quick by far but he has learnt the manage his timing better and he has put a lot of work… Read more »
Can we all agree to permanently retire the “he starts ahead of Lacazette for France” point in “arguments” regarding Giroud’s quality or lack thereof? On it’s own, IT IS IRRELEVANT. Here, let me show you: “Last season Mourinho (everyone knows he’s like the bestest coach in the whole wide world, right?) frequently started Fellaini ahead of the likes of Schneiderlin and Mata.” So…what follows from that exactly?!?? He must be better than them? Obviously not. So…THAT’S RIGHT, NOTHING RELEVANT ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THE PLAYERS OR THEIR SUITABILITY TO ARSENAL FC FOLLOWS FROM THE POINT THAT SOME OTHER COACH ON… Read more »
Giroud plays best when he sits for 6 to 8 games, play 1 or 2 Then sits again. He gets greedy fast and forgets there are 10 other players out there with him and seems lost in his own little world. Yes he should stay at Arsenal because they stuck themselves with Wenger for two more years like a bunch of numb skulls!! They deserve each other. I’ve been an Arsenal fan for a long time but it looks like I’m going to have to take 2 years off. It hurts far too much to watch a team self abuse… Read more »
Arsenal plays far different than the French National Team. Also, let’s see how far a the French get in the world Cup anyway.
Agree 100% plus he scores from very accute angles which nobody does since that Ronib VP twat. Also irregsrdless is not a word…
I don’t know. For me giroud stays an welbz is sold. We just can’t keep a striker who can’t finish. Danny sucks.
The more I think about it, the more I realize how wrong it is to say Olivier Giroud is not a world-class striker. He might quite easily be the best hold-up striker and best header of the ball in world football. After all, he is essentially the best at both of those things in the toughest league in the world. It’s impossible to perfectly compare two players but it can be said he is basically the best at both. On top of that he is super-technical with a silky touch. He scores brilliant goals and gives brilliant assists. Not to… Read more »
Don’t let anyone ‘take him’
Golden
Is giroud staying at arsenal next season thank