Arsenal: Olivier Giroud and Alexandre Lacazette make perfectly peculiar crowd

Olivier Giroud has stated that he wants to continue his Arsenal journey. With Alexandre Lacazette’s imminent arrival, and his staying, it makes a perfectly peculiar crowd among Arsene Wenger’s striking options.

Olivier Giroud is an extremely divisive figure. Perhaps more than any other Arsenal player, fans are split on his quality and his uses. Some see him as a towering, dominating, bullying centre-forward, who provides a focal point for what can sometimes be a lost and misguided Gunners’ attack; others are more critical of his ability, highlighting his inconsistent finishing and lack of mobility and pace as shortcomings that shackle his and team’s potency.

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As is often the case with these things, the truth likely lies in between the two extremes. However, what cannot be doubted is that Giroud does not have the consistent strike rate to fire his team to a sustained and genuine title challenge.

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That is a premonition that Arsene Wenger has aligned himself with, by all but signing Alexandre Lacazette this summer. The Lyon striker is seemingly a direct replacement for Giroud, even though he will play the position with a very different style and approach, and there have been significant rumours suggesting that his transfer will force Giroud out of the club as he looks for more regular game-time.

Giroud, though, has insisted that he would like to stay in North London. When speaking with the Arsenal weekly podcast, Giroud stated that he wants to continue his journey with the Gunners, in the hope that he can win a title:

"“I won a few titles in my career, that is an important thing, but there is another thing which is important for me and that’s that the people [see you as a] loyal warrior on the pitch — that you always give your best for the team. That’s why I want to carry on my good journey at Arsenal and I always want to give my best. I would love to win another title or maybe more until the end of my contract.”"

If Giroud does indeed stay, then it will make for a rather peculiar crowd at the striker position. Both Lacazette and Giroud are quality strikers, capable of scoring goals at a consistently high level in the Premier League and in Europe. But they do so in very different ways.

While Lacazette uses his pace to run the channels and exploit the space in behind the defence, Giroud exploits his size and strength advantage, scoring goals using his aerial prowess, and making space for himself in the penalty area with sharp movement, especially with a characteristic run across the near post.

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Combining the two players offers Arsenal several ways in which in they can break down their opponents. No longer are they are a one-dimensional attack. It may be a peculiar crowd, but it is one that offers great versatility, and that is very dangerous indeed.