Arsenal: Alexandre Lacazette for Olivier Giroud defeats the purpose

Arsenal has reportedly been told that they can have Alexandre Lacazette if they sweeten the deal with Olivier Giroud. Absolutely not.

Arsenal definitely need a striker this summer. No one is going to question that. Danny Welbeck is not a proven goal scorer and Olivier Giroud has never been enough in and of himself. He needs an added attacking presence, plain and simple. Welbeck is definitely a promising candidate, but reliable? Not so much.

Many people will say that trading Giroud for a different kind of striker is a good deal and should be struck up immediately. I’m here to tell you the opposite. Losing Giroud now completely defeats the purpose of progress.

As such, these new rumors that Lyon now want Giroud to sweeten the deal for Lacazette (no matter how unlikely) should be dismissed as the hogwash that they are.

Giroud has just now crossing the precipice that we have always wanted for him. His entire North London career has been spent being the maligned sole representative of an often stale attack. It was not an enviable position to be in.

But things are different now. As in, Olivier Giroud is different now.

The big man has finally been pushed by internal competition and the threat of inconsistent playing minutes and the results have been everything we could have ever asked for. He’s been as effective as a striker can be in his time. Meaning he was the most efficient striker in the Premier League for the 2016/17 season.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

And you want to give him up as just part of the deal to land Lacazette, who has only ever succeeded in Ligue 1 and, on top of that, scored about a third of his goals from the penalty spot? Sounds a bit counter-intuitive.

The point of not grabbing a game-changing striker like Antoine Griezmann or Pierre-Emerick Aubeyang is that the current options must remain in tact. I don’t consider Lacazette a game-changing option. Perhaps he could be, but selling out on him being a game-changer is a risk that doesn’t need to be taken.

Giroud is primed for a huge year with the Gunners and is going to cement himself in Arsenal history with his 100th goal. He’s been in the form of his life for the unappreciative French national side and at this point, he may even have more present value than Lacazette.

Next: 3 Reasons Alexandre Lacazette Is Worth It

So no, we should not try a trade. What the hell would be the point in losing one of our unique weapons to get another? That’s not progress, it’s a swap.

Home/Arsenal Transfer Rumours