Joe Thomas
The immediate future of Arsenal’s French international striker Olivier Giroud has come into doubt following the player’s decision to publicly vocalise his discontent at what he perceives to be a lack of game time.
Speaking to the media ahead of his nation’s clash with England at the Stade de France, Giroud fuelled speculation that he may not be an Arsenal player come the start of the 2017-18 campaign: “It is true that I have had limited playing time but it was for a certain amount of time, it is true there were things against me. I will not settle for another year with such little playing time.
The declaration immediately led to the Frenchman being linked by bigfreebet.com to an Emirates exit, with interest from across Europe's top leagues.
The Frenchman managed a goal for every 101 minutes played last season, the second best ratio in the Premier League season as he proved a valuable option from the bench for the north London side.
West Ham United, who are seemingly unable to count upon the fitness of their £19m 2013 signing Andy Carroll, appear to be keen on pursuing a deal for the Frenchman.
The Hammers will be hoping to have overcome a frustrating maiden season at the London Stadium and capturing Giroud’s goal scoring pedigree would prove an appealing opportunity as they look to match the impressive seventh place finish that they achieved in the 2015-16 campaign.
However, the east Londoners may have to provide a sizeable financial package if they are to try and persuade the attacker away from his ambition to remain competing at the top of the table. Giroud has stated: “There is nothing fixed, but I would say that today I feel good at Arsenal.
“I have two more years on my contract, we will see what the future will be.
“The Premier League is an increasingly high-profile and contested championship, where five or six teams can potentially claim the title.
“This is why I still want to continue to win this title.”
The powerful target man has scored 98 goals since his 2012 arrival at the club but had to settle for a squad role for swathes of the past season.
Whilst Arsene Wenger’s core focus will remain on persuading Mesut Özil and Alexis Sanchez that Arsenal is still the place for them to fulfil their personal ambitions, suggestions that the Frenchman is considering alternative options to the Emirates will still be of concern for the manager as he seeks to lift his side back into the Champions League places in the upcoming campaign.
