Why the Time Has Come for Arsenal to Seek out Alternatives to Olivier Giroud

When Olivier Giroud ended his goal drought with a header against Manchester City, Arsenal fans would have been mostly delighted for him.

It’s never nice to watch a player bereft of confidence enduring that sort of run. However, there will also have been some supporters concerned by Giroud’s presence on the scoresheet—they will fear his return to goalscoring form might convince Arsene Wenger he doesn’t need to recruit a new centre-forward this summer.

The reality is Giroud’s goal at the Etihad is fairly inconsequential—Arsenal need a new striker regardless. 

They’ve actually needed one for some time. When Robin van Persie left in 2012, the Gunners lost a world-class finisher.

Lukas Podolski and Giroud were bought to replace him, but it quickly became apparent that while Podolski shared the Dutchman’s lethal left foot, he wasn’t able to operate as a lone striker. With Podolski confined to the left flank and eventually the substitutes bench, Giroud became Arsenal’s default centre-forward.

It should be made clear at this point that, for all his faults, Giroud has probably exceeded expectations at Arsenal. He arrived from Montpellier with a reputation as a journeyman forward. Like Arsenal team-mate Laurent Koscielny, he had dropped down the divisions in France with Tours before climbing back to the summit of Ligue 1.

Given that he arrived without enormous pedigree, the fact he was able to establish himself as Arsenal’s starting striker within his first season is impressive. However, it also speaks to the lack of alternatives.

Podolski was unfit for purpose, and at one stage Giroud’s only real rival as Arsenal’s target man was uncouth youth Yaya Sanogo. 

Year on year, Arsenal were linked with established, world-class strikers, yet none arrived. That is understandable—there isn’t a club in the world that wouldn’t want to recruit an elite goalscorer, but there aren’t many to go around.

However, the club now has the financial muscle to lure the world’s best players, as evidenced by the signings of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez. It’s time to buy a striker of that calibre to complement their other marquee players.

It’s not …

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