Arsenal: Olivier Giroud Chelsea asking price is still too cheap

Arsenal have supposedly set an asking price for Olivier Giroud in regards to potentially joining Chelsea, but it is still far too low.

Let’s start this out by making this easy – Olivier Giroud isn’t going to Chelsea. If he does leave Arsenal, it will be to Dortmund. With that out of the way, let’s get in depth as to why this isn’t happening or, if you aren’t willing to commit that hard to it’s impossibility, then let’s just say that there is no way in hell he should join Chelsea.

According to the Daily Mail, Arsenal are willing to sell Olivier Giroud to Chelsea for a fee of £35m, which, according to sources reporting this rumor, is way too much. But to me, and ideally to all of North London, this is way too little.

And I am happy to tell you why.

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Olivier Giroud is the best aerial striker in the league. He has been since his 2012 arrival. He scores more headed goals than anyone. He’s been an aerial menace in the most physical league in the world for half a decade.

Arsenal don’t play to his strengths anymore, but Chelsea do. Chelsea play with serious width, with Alonso and Moses running the flanks. They send in crosses like crazy and Alvaro Morata has had a field day with it, with a lot of his goals coming from his noggin.

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Giroud would fit the Chelsea system, quite well in fact. He is an expert aerial striker with superb cross-fielding abilities and for a striker like that, I don’t care his age, you could be looking at a fee far higher than that.

It’s clear Chelsea are desperate for an aerial menace. They have been – rather bizarrely – linked to Peter Crouch and Andy Carroll, both of whom are not as good in the air as Olivier Giroud. If you want the best, you have to pay for the best.

Then there is the matter of Giroud still being a big part of this Arsenal set up, despite not starting. He is the Plan B that can save the day. You can’t put a value on that. To have someone so dedicated to the squad that he stuck around, despite a lack of playing time, is something truly special and only cultivated by an environment like Arsene Wenger has taken such pride in building.

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Giroud should not be for sale. But if he has to be for sale, it should absolutely not be to a direct rival. And if it has to be to a direct rival, then you better get the best damn price you can get, and £35m is certainly not the best damn price you can get.