Arsenal and Olivier Giroud: Money talks

Chelsea are reportedly pushing hard to sign Olivier Giroud from Arsenal in the coming days. While it would seem counterproductive to sell the Frenchman, in this modern world, money talks, and, sometimes, that is not necessarily a bad thing.

Arsenal are nearing the signing of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. It is a blockbuster addition, one that few would have thought likely, or even possible, for that matter, at the beginning of the January window. But it is having ramifications, and they are not necessarily all that productive.

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Specifically, the impending addition of Aubameyang only eases Olivier Giroud further out of the starting XI picture. Giroud had already lost his starting role to his French compatriot, Alexandre Lacazette, in the summer, and now it seems as though Arsene Wenger is set to break his transfer record twice in two windows addressing the very position that Giroud has forrayed so dutifully for many years.

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Giroud was already frustrated with his lack of playing time, especially in the Premier League. Those concerns have only been compounded by the presence of the World Cup in the summer, where he is battling with the man who replaced him at Arsenal for the lone starting role, one that he had previously defined as his own thanks to a blossoming relationship with Antoine Griezmann.

And now, with the introduction of Aubameyang, a player who will only further push Giroud out of potential playing time, there seems to be a growing desire for the now 31-year-old to engineer a North London exit. Initially, it was thought that Giroud may be a part of the Aubameyang deal, with Borussia Dortmund keen to secure an experienced, ready-made replacement for the outgoing Gabonian. But that trail has quietened somewhat. A new one has surfaced, and it is not all that rosy.

Chelsea, who have been on a tirade all January, yearning for another striking option, even reportedly considering an approach for 36-year-old, journeyman Peter Crouch, are, per the rumour mill, set to make an approach for Giroud, either in a loan or permanent capacity.

The thinking for Arsenal is very simple. Clearly, allowing a player to sign for a direct rival, even a relatively unused player like Giroud, is never something that is beneficial, and it is worth avoiding at all costs. Having said that, money talks, and if the right offer for a player who will now rarely play comes in, surely Arsenal would be justified in accepting it?

The question then becomes a very simple one: How much is Giroud worth? The reported fee of £30 million is certainly the right type of ball-park figure that Wenger should be aiming for. I find it difficult to begrudge the club selling Giroud for that kind of money, even if it is to a direct rival in Chelsea.

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While it would certainly be less than ideal to see Giroud bolster the attacking options that Antonio Conte, a clearly disgruntled and unsettled manager, £30 million is money that could be used greatly in the summer. In football, money talks, and in the case of Giroud, it’s shouting rather loudly.