Arsenal: Olivier Giroud will find no love at Olympique Lyon

Arsenal might be moving to use Olivier Giroud to land Alexandre Lacazette, but Giroud has to know he will find no love at this potential new home.

There is an emerging possibility that Arsenal will use Olivier Giroud as a makeweight to land Alexandre Lacazette and I don’t think I could be any more opposed to the idea.

I spoke at length about it earlier today and don’t want to go through it all again, suffice to say it is a huge risk to let a proven Premier League striker like Giroud leave, leaving the team with a grand total of zero proven Premier League strikers, unless we are counting Alexis, but who is?

Giroud, however, may be thinking that if Lacazette comes, then Lyon would provide a better outlet for consistent playing time, which is something he has openly indicated he must have in this coming year. And he may find that at Lyon, but what he won’t find there is love.

First of all, French fans already don’t appreciate Giroud. Despite the fact that he has now eclipsed Karim Benzema in the goal category. Arsenal fans, I do believe, are coming around on Giroud after last year, but the French fans are still a bit ruthless to him.

Lyon is in France.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

Not just that, but you have to think about it from the point of view of what he would be walking into. When he joined Arsenal, he had the unenviable task of following up Robin van Persie and Thierry Henry. Neither of whom had many of those ‘flaw’ things.

It took Giroud time to settle in and in the process, he built himself a hefty base of naysayers in the Gunner faithful.

Going to Lyon, he would be following up Lacazette, who was technically gifted, fleet of foot, capable of the beautiful goal. Giroud was never that kind of guy. He is not technically deft and while his brilliant back-heels go without acclaim, he isn’t a razzle-dazzler like Lacazette was. And like the Lyon faithful will be used to.

Lyon fans will see this as getting the guy Lacazette was sent to replace. Talk about starting behind the eight ball. Giroud will yet again have to dig himself out of a hole, right as he was starting to surface from the hold that the Gunners pre-dug for him.

Next: Arsenal's Potential 2017/18 Starting XI Without Ozil, Alexis

If this move is finding momentum on Giroud’s desire to leave, he will be sorely disappointed by the reception.

Home/Arsenal Transfer Rumours