Arsenal: Danny Welbeck is no Olivier Giroud insurance

Olivier Giroud is set to miss the next six weeks. Although he was not a starter, Danny Welbeck is no insurance for Arsenal at the striking position.

Last season, Arsenal struggled for depth at the striker position. Before the start of the season, in the summer transfer window, most people expected Arsene Wenger to bring in another player, someone who could at least challenge for the starting role, if not a new, esteemed centre-forward altogether. It never came.

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Instead, Wenger entered the year with just one fit striker, Chuba Akpom. And so, because he did not to trust thrusting the youngster into such a fierce and pressurised situation, he rendered the situation by contorting Alexis Sanchez into a centre-forward, something that I do not think he wished to do but was forced into.

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Throughout the year, Sanchez and Olivier Giroud, who was the assumed starter at the beginning of the year, alternated starts, with Wenger adopting a changeable approach to his front line. It was a little odd and the lack of depth that was available in the squad was clear; Arsenal needed alternatives that they did not have.

This year, though, Wenger went and invested the money that many had expected of him last year. Alexandre Lacazette came into the team, Giroud dropped to the bench, playing a reserve role, introduced late in Premier League games and starting in the Europa League and Carabao Cup, and Wenger has had many options to rotate between, maintaining a crucial element of flexibility and versatility to his attack.

However, Giroud, thanks to a pulled hamstring, against West Ham United in the Carabao Cup, is now set to miss the next six matches, which could include as many as ten matches. That leaves Arsenal in yet another sticky, striking situation: Beyond Lacazette, the only other clear-cut option as a centre-forward is Danny Welbeck.

Unfortunately, while I like Welbeck as a rotational squad player thanks to his ability to play in several different positions, his work ethic, his character and his commitment, I would be a little nervous if Lacazette were to now miss any serious

Put simply, Welbeck is not a reliable goalscorer. His finishing is extremely poor, he lacks the clinical, ruthless edge in front of goal that every top-tier striker must possess, and he is inconsistent. He is difficult to depend on; Arsenal are close to being in that exact position.

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Thankfully, Giroud’s injury is not a long-term one. But if it lingers on throughout the season, then it may prove costly for the Gunners. He may not be the starter anymore, but his uses are still aplenty. He is a valued member of this squad whose absence will be hard felt.