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Despite scoring over 100 goals for Arsenal football club, Olivier Giroud has never truly been appreciated throughout his time at the Emirates. His inclusions in starting line-ups are constantly met with groans and discontent from the fans. Considering the fact that Olivier Giroud has scored the most goals off the bench by a Premier League player ever, he should be cut a bit more slack.
During the summer, the Frenchman made his feelings clear that if he wasn’t going to be a starter, he didn’t want to be at the club. Arsène Wenger somehow convinced him to stay with a promise of more game time. But the arrival of the £52million Alexandre Lacazette has thrown another spanner in the works for the 31-year-old.
Now rumours suggest that the Frenchman is seeking a way out in January. Add to the melting point the upcoming 2018 World Cup and it makes perfect sense for Olivier Giroud to leave Arsenal as soon as possible.
Here are 5 clubs Olivier Giroud could move to this January.
#5 Marseille
Ruudi Garcia spent the whole of the summer window chasing Olivier Giroud, but after Arsène Wenger convinced him to stay, Giroud rejected them. A move to the Orange Velodrome presents Olivier Giroud with the chance to play in his home nation six months before the start of the World Cup.
Les Phoceens have been in fine form this season, sitting in 4th having scored 35 goals in 17 games. However, there’s no such thing as too much firepower. Olivier Giroud signing for Marseille continues the trend of talented Premier League stars switching to Ligue 1. Dimitri Payet is the focal point of this Marseille team and alongside Olivier Giroud, they could make a strong push for the 2nd place.
#4 Newcastle
With the 2018 World Cup just around the corner, Olivier Giroud does not have the luxury of being fussy about his options. What he needs is game time and what Newcastle needs is goals, it’s a perfect match.
The Magpies are in the middle of a worrying rut, having only picked up 1 point since the start of November. They’re lacking goals, ideas and leaders. With rumours of a possible takeover currently doing the rounds, the signing of Olivier Giroud would significantly lift the morale of the Newcastle faithful.
The Frenchman possesses the perfect amount of experience to help lead a youthful Newcastle side to Premier League safety. Rafa Benitez's inexperienced squad needs a striker that can lead from the front and be the star man. The last time Olivier Giroud was a star man of a team, he won a league title.
#3 Sevilla
Although the Spanish team currently sit 5th in La Liga, Sevilla have struggled to score goals. Instead, the times they have scored, they’ve made sure those moments counted. In 15 league games, Sevilla have only scored 19 goals. They need tactical variety and a striker that can score in the big moments, Olivier Giroud provides both.
Olivier Giroud’s playing style is a unique one. He has the physical attributes that paint him just to be a normal target man, but his technical traits suggest he can play in a variety of ways. That’s why he’s excelled so highly at the Emirates, scoring goals ranging from bullet headers to overhead kicks.
#2 AC Milan
Despite massive financial investment in the summer, Milan are an embarrassing 16 points off the top of the table. The big money signings of the summer haven’t delivered the returns expected. None more so than Andre Silva, the Portuguese international was bought for £34.2million in the summer but hasn’t scored a single Serie A goal. It’s not good enough and Olivier Giroud is an available striking option Milan cannot afford to overlook.
Last season, the Frenchman had the highest conversion rate of any PL player who scored 10+ goals. That means he was more clinical than Harry Kane, Romelu Lukaku, Alexis Sanchez, Sergio Agüero & Diego Costa, just to name a few. There’s no doubt that Olivier Giroud would enhance the goal-scoring prowess of AC Milan, pushing them towards Champions League qualification & beyond.
#1 Everton
When he was still at Goodison Park, Ronald Koeman made it evidently clear that Olivier Giroud was his top transfer target. Just like managerial reign, that dream failed, and Everton were left with Wayne Rooney, Sandro Ramirez, Oumar Niasse and Dominic Calvert-Lewin as striking options.
Ramirez has only scored 1 league goal, Calvert-Lewin’s natural position is on the wing and Oumar Niasse simply isn’t good enough. Wayne Rooney has been the only shining light at the Goodison Park, but a player of his calibre is more than capable of dropping back into a CAM role for the arrival of Olivier Giroud.
The Frenchman is already used to the physical requirements of the Premier League, so he would instantly bolster Everton’s push for the top half of the table. The acquisition of Oliver Giroud gives new boss Sam Allardyce a plethora of tactical approaches. At the moment, he’s limited to a counter-attacking style up front, but Olivier Giroud gives him the option of playing his beloved direct & long ball style, a style that worked for him bountifully at his previous clubs.
