Olivier Giroud admits he’s not sure if he’ll still be at Arsenal when the transfer window closes.
After expressing his dissatisfaction at a lack of game time at the Emirates, the France international has attracted interest from West Ham United, Everton and Marseille this summer.
It’s believed all three clubs are willing to pay in excess of £20 million for the 30-year-old, a significant profit for the Gunners on the £12 million paid to Montpellier five years ago.
Arsene Wenger has repeatedly made clear he wishes to keep the striker but it’s thought he could be willing to sell his compatriot if Alexis Sanchez commits his future to the club. The Gunners have already signed Alexandre Lacazette for a club-record fee this summer, further increasing the competition for an attacking starting berth.
Speaking to Sky Sports in Sydney, Giroud said: “I honestly don’t know [about my future]. At the moment I’m still an Arsenal player so I’ll try to be professional like always and prepare well for next season.
“Obviously there will be more competition, even more than last year, but it’s always nice for a striker to feel the pressure and I always deal with it.
“I’ve been through some difficulties these last years but always succeeded to bounce back, but this one I don’t know. I don’t know about my future so I can’t tell you more. I’m focused on my pre-season.”
Let’s keep him. Great Plan B at least.
This is exactly why he would choose to leave. Why should he be satisfied with being a Plan B, when he can be a starter elsewhere?
Because he has a long contract
That’s a good point, but Wenger will not keep a player who does not want to be at the club. If Giroud decides he wants to leave, Wenger will not stand in his way.
@tino what the hell are you talking about? OG has said he wants to stay several times (even after we signed AL9). Lucas Perez is leaving and I expect Alexis to play fewer games than last season. If we want to any silverware next season, then we’ll need all the good strikers we have.
I love Giroud and want him to stay, but all I am pointing out is the reality of the situation. Did you read the article or the title at the very least? Giroud wants games and with more strikers that becomes more difficult for him. If he thinks that his role at Arsenal is to be a Plan B, then I wouldn’t be surprised to see him go. What’s so hard to understand about that?
Wizardry, no need for such approach. I agree with tino, Giroud will not accept the role of “good plan B”, his opinion of himself is higher than that. The other thing is that he is not the level we need for a plan A. Thus, I also agree that it is better that he leaves as he will not be satisfied with that and Wenger will probably not stand in his way.
He stood in Debuchy’s way when Van Gaal wanted to recruit him.
Is that a fact? I did a quick google and here is what I found.
Asked about United’s alleged offer for Debuchy, Wenger replied: ‘They never made an offer for him, that’s completely untrue.
I believer Wenger on this one and not Debuchy.
Sanchez doesn’t want to be here and we are trying to keep him.
And that we are a better club than West Ham, Everton and Marseille.
But as with him as with Sanchez, nice to have you but if you’re not happy then by all means move on.
Plus next season decides who will go to the world cup. Benzema will apologize to come back to national team. He has already changed his rhetoric and no more has issues with justice. Giroud seems to be telling other clubs, you can still come and pick me.
He’s a good bloke. Scores goals. Great beard. Will be sad to see him leave.
Can we atleast keep his beard
Sounds a bit gross
This doesn’t sound good…
What would hurt is Giroud and Perez both leaving. Because then, essentially we’re left with Lacazette and Welbeck. And we know Welbeck’s injury record. And on top of that, if Sanchez leaves too, then we don’t have anyone else we can deploy as a central striker, barring Theo of course (which isn’t too convincing).
Maybe we should be a young Striker, a future prospect who has the ability to step in as a sub. Or someone like Loic Remy, I like Remy.
“Chill, Winston.”
How about Bendnter? I prefer Kalou though.
I think they call him Lukalou now
I keep saying this but if we sell Giroud & Perez I would pick up Kelechi Iheanacho, he’s young, hungry, wants to play & well within our budget.
Iheanacho already signed for Leicester.
Buying a good striker in Lacazette for €60 million and then selling a good striker in Giroud for €30million seems a bit silly. Particularly as we seem to be after a left winger in Lemar. There’s been plenty of murmurings that we don’t play to Giroud’s strengths, which I agree with. So we go in for a player to help play to his strengths, only to allow him to leave? So the new left winger can whip in balls for a striker who’s not known for his strength or arial power. This is typical Arsene logic. I don’t think he… Read more »
What logic? Arsenal haven’t said they are selling him and can’t see him leaving
I don’t think Wenger wants to sell him. Pundits apart (who are selective in what they want to hear), Wenger has mentioned that Giroud brings qualities we don’t have in the squad. He’s an enabler, a node but he is also a very efficient goal scorer who is maturing well with age. I think the intention is to keep him not as Plan B but as a different weapon to break teams down depending on their set up. Certainly if we can stomach losing Alexis for free a season down, makes no sense to cash in 30m on Giroud either… Read more »
To his credit he’s correct, he does always bounce back. He must have looked finished 5 times over his Arsenal career and each time he comes up with important goals.
Agree, if he stays? I think there’s every likelihood he’ll finish the season as our No10 striker
We need BOTH Giroud and Lacazette preferably.
Not plan B.
Different weapons.
Welbeck is yet to convince with strike rate and finishing. Potential is there but he is less efficient at the moment.
It will be a shame to sell Giroud IMO particularly if Alexis leaves.
He also continously improves his game. Over the seasons with us, he has gotten better and better. He has one of the most sublime touches for a CF (see Jack’s goal for Norwich and the similar wall pass for Rosicky) And he has trimmed down to add a bit more speed to his game. That scorpion goal was started in our half by Giroud who got up field to knock it in from the half way line. Ditto the cross for the winner against chelski in the FA finals. Too much simpleton thinking surrounding giroud and his ‘pace’. Similar nonsense… Read more »
Love your last line. And it’s so true.
Football aside, you have to respect Giroud as a total professional.
I respect him as both a total professional and a talented footballer.
Let’s ignore the 2 February 2014 when he was pictured the night before a match versus Crystal Palace by the model, Celia Kay, who was in his bedroom when we say he is a total professional.
How much did she pay him ?
Digging up ancient history. He’s moved on, we’ve moved on, you should try it sometime. Our HFB is a better striker than many give him credit for, is a team player, and loves the club. I’d be gutted if he leaves and I hope it won’t happen.
Three years ago isn’t ancient history. Pictures of him in his undies freely available. He did apologise.
OK, let’s ignore the facts.
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I think he’ll be here for the start of the season but may leave on deadline day. £20m+ is a lot for a 30 year old who has never quite convinced.
He’s good, but is he good enough?
Never quite convinced who exactly? Of what exactly? That’s not rhetorical question. I’m genuinely interested.
Giroud is a wonderful striker who has never been the right kind of player to be the focal point of attack for a team like Arsenal. Thank goodness we have players like Özil and Alexis who have kept us relevant in recent years. A player like Suarez, in his last year at Liverpool, literally terrorising defences, is what we have always needed to find/add. You’re either #1 or you’re not. Giroud is not and has never really convinced that he could hold that “title” at Arsenal. Just take a look at Suarez’s goals for Liverpool in that season on YouTube.… Read more »
Spot on, Alex.
Well, Arsene Wenger for a start. He’s been trying to replace Giroud since going after Suarez. He signed Welbeck and Perez, tried Walcott and Sanchez up front, went after Higuain, Benzema, Vardy and has now bought Lacazette.
Giroud has had other detractors, Thierry Henry being the first to my mind.
He has been criticised for his lack of pace and his lack of goals against big teams.
Notice that I didn’t criticise him. I pointed out that £20m is a lot of money for a 30 year old and asked if he was good enough.
Me. Of any pace, movement, ability to stay upright when touched, nice beard though. Satisfied your interest?
Yes i know, we dont play to his strenghts. Give him shitloads of crosses and he will score shitloads of goals or a target man great in 4 4 2 but alas wenger knows.
Never convinced and the same people who say these red herrings should look at Welbeck. Score much? Pace.
No sell him utd reject
Perhaps I might be alone here, but even as a 30-year-old & at a “significant profit” for the Gunners on the £12 million paid to Montpellier five years ago, potentially selling him for just £20 million is pure madness! He’s one of our top scorers (as in fairness he should be) & is normally a starting member of the French International team! He offers a different type of threat than anyone else we have on the team…a threat that opponents have to plan against & potentially accomodate. Yes I completely get that he doesn’t want to simply be a backup… Read more »
Please stay, Oli. There’s Europa League and the FA Cup and the EFL and Stoke away etc – you will get your starts. I couldn’t bear to see you in the colours of another team.
I mean, his erratic starts for us last season were not detriment to his starts for France.
Deschamp still used him ahead of Lacazette and he banged in 16 goals in 16 games for them.
Clearly a reason why Deschamp prefers to start OG. His assist levels for the talented second line of Les Bleus maybe…
I really wish and hope he stays just for that striking depth.
On course for a CLASH
Should I stay or should I go now?
If I go, there could be trouble
And if I stay it could be a double
So come on and let me know
Should I stay or should I go now?
Oli don’t go!!!
Alexis dont go.
I wouldn’t let him leave. I would tell him straight that he has qualities that the others don’t have and he is needed; that his contributions really could be the difference between a league-winners and also-rans. However, I would show him that value by offering him an immediate one or two year deal with a significant pay increase to put my money where my mouth was. I’d say, “look Ollie, when Özil, Lacazette and Alexis can’t break down Man U at Old Trafford, I want to look to my bench and know that I can bring your strength and power… Read more »
You already posted what I was about to think…
I mean, I think it will be his last season with us.
BUT Giroud is constantly improving even at late age and the good thing is BECAUSE his game isn’t built around ‘pace’, he won’t be affected as much as time goes by.
He is very efficient in his movement and positioning.
It will be a mistake to think that ‘pace’ is everything as most pundits sadly deem to think so…:D
if Lucas leaves and Giroud too and Alexis stays, do we need to get another striker?
Selling Walcott would make much more sense.
He’s already got a limited role in the 4-2-3-1 system
In the 3-5-2 he’s completely irrelevant.
Agree Walcott is more surplus as Lacazette replicates much of his abilties if not better and Ox has his pace covered (if not Bellerin) BUT its hard to sell Theo. He isn’t suited for offshore and in blighty, only the top 6 will consider his salary level for what he may bring. If Alexis stays I think we are sufficient for strikers bc he can also play up top in addition to Welbeck and Lacazette. It may mean Giroud may leave. BUT if Alexis leaves it would be prudent to keep Giroud. We can add a Mahrez or Lemar to… Read more »
First of all we should keep him if we can. He is more lethal than Welbeck and carries different set of abilities than any of the other strikers. Its NEVER been a question of plan B as so idiotically portrayed by media rather a question of presenting different capabilities against different opponent set ups. Personally I’d rather lose Walcott than Giroud as Lacazette repliacets most of Theo’s abilities plus adds efficiency. Having said that, I think its a question of whether Alexis stays or leaves. Remembering Alexis can also play up top, IF he should find no better buyer than… Read more »
If he’s happy to be plan B, keep him. If not then bye bye. He’s not good enough, Henry said it, I’ve said many times and the calibre of clubs that are allegedly interested further illustrates the point
Giroud’s best quality is his intelligence and that has only increased with his age.
Keep him pls. Gives us more options in the attack
No matter what the decision would be, only big respect to Oli. He has always been a great servant for the club.
Great attitude from G-Rude.
Hope he stays, but I cant see him willing to start on the bench for us if he wants to remain target man for France come next summer.