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Arsenal Need a new Striker for Olivier Giroud’s Sake
By Josh Sippie
Olivier Giroud has pretty much been the sole provider at Arsenal up front since his arrival in the 2012/13 season. His prowess drove off Lukas Podolski from competition, Danny Welbeck was unable to provide any semblance of a threat, and here we are again, at square one, with Olivier Giroud still lacking any serious competition to his spot.
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The hulking Frenchman commented back in February that he produced his best form when Arsenal were linked to other strikers, namely Jackson Martinez.
“It spurs you on. Recently, there was a buzz around [Porto striker] Jackson Martinez. It gave me added motivation. I was very happy to score those two goals,” he said via the Independent. He has also been called out and then un-called out by Thierry Henry for not being enough for Arsenal to mount a title challenge. Giroud welcomed a conversation with Henry, but the invitation is still pending acceptance.
The fact that Olivier Giroud was ‘spurred on’ by even the rumor of a transfer should be all the proof that Arsene Wenger needs to find Giroud a challenger. He even said recently (via the Daily Star): “If there is a new striker, it will be nice for all the team, because competition is good for everyone.”
If the main guy talking up the addition of a new striker is your current striker, it is a pretty good sign that another striker might be a good idea.
While Olivier Giroud has been stricken with confidence problems in the past, he appears to have overcome them, at least that is what it looks like. If Olivier Giroud is going to have any sort of consistency, he needs someone there who can provide a reason for him to always stay on top of his game. Maybe that person can be Theo Walcott, but there is still no guarantee that he will be used strictly as a center forward.
Danny Welbeck could mature more as a striker and mount a challenge but that is speculative too, as is the youthful vigor of Chuba Akpom.
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Arsenal may have a lot of strikers, but they only have one tried and true, pure striker, and that is Olivier Giroud. Arsenal looked borderline helpless with Giroud out injured last season. Luckily we had Alexis or Arsenal would have been flirting with the bottom of the table. A title-contending team cannot make it with one striker and a bunch of question marks. It leaves far too much up to chance.
Chelsea had Diego Costa, Loic Remy and Didier Drogba. Barcelona have Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez. These trophy-winning teams have multiple striking options. It is no wonder how they do it.
Giroud is a fantastic striker, and without the risk of injuries, exhaustion or form-dips, he would be enough. But you can not leave that up to chance. Arsenal are reinforced in just about every area of the pitch but their reinforcements up front are full of uncertainties.
If Arsene Wenger wants what is best for his French forward, he needs to spend a chunk of that 40 million he still has and get Olivier Giroud some competition.
Next: Can Santi Cazorla continue his great form?