So Arsenal look to have secured their second signing of the summer. Welcome to the Emirates Olivier Giroud! Whilst confirmation is still forthcoming, it’s believed that everything will be wrapped once France exit from Euro 2012. For the time being the player is fully focused on establishing himself in this French side and guiding his team to tournament glory. That doesn’t mean we can’t start wondering where he fits into this Arsenal side.
In particular, I’m a little concerned by some rather disparaging comparisons that are being drawn throughout the Arsenal fanbase. I’ve seen a surprisingly large number of people compare Giroud – a fully fledged French international, to Marouane Chamakh, Arsenal’s flop supreme.
I think this is Arsenal fans revealing their pessimistic streak. It couldn’t possibly be that Arsene Wenger has actually managed to pull off a top class signing. There has to be some catch. Some snag. Chamakh looked good in France, before he flopped at Arsenal, so surely Giroud will do the same, right?
But there’s a few key differences to elucidate. Chamakh played for Bordeaux for eight seasons. During his very best season he scored 13 League goals in 34 appearances. Compare that to Giroud who scored 21 goals in 36 games and led his side to the Ligue 1 title. He also impressed during his time with Tours, scoring 21 goals in 38 appearances. He doesn’t look to be a flash in the pan.
Chamakh was also renowned for being strong in the air and Giroud will arrive with the same reputation. But there’s much more to the Frenchman’s game. He will offer Arsenal the kind of physicality that Chamakh lacks. He’s strong, tenacious and can hold the ball up well. In essence, he’s a million miles away from how you’d usually expect an Arsenal striker to be.
Which is why he’d make for such an interesting signing. It shows that Wenger is still willing to adapt and try out something new. Giroud is ready to make the step up to one European football’s top leagues. Arsene is one of the best judges of French talent going. It’s a move that seems to make a lot of sense.
So why don’t we put our doubts and worries aside for just one moment and adopt a more positive outlook. With both Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud in tow, Arsenal’s attack is going to look a lot more dangerous.
What’s your take? Is Giroud really a good signing?
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GIroud along with Podolski are quality signings IMO. It will be interesting to see how they are deployed. I do think however that a new RB and CB are needed as well as someone like M Vila to back up Song though maybe Coquelin will be a temporary RB. All in all some promising signs for once we may even compete for top honours. Need to get rid of a few too. I am sick of people complaining about big signings then saying we should not let youngsters go. It has to be a balance of the two.
the deployment of podolski and sensational Giroud will strenghthen arsenal’s attack a lot more than last flopy season.i think these signings will play a role in Rvp’s stay at the emirates.However,wenger should not be oblivious of the fact that we will still need to reinforce to the midfield,and the flanks.
i think that Arsenal may be preparing for life with out Van Persie in the signings of Giroud and Podolski. The league scoring leader may well be on his way to Juventus. These two signings are a powerful statement of intent that’s for sure
Oliver Giroud will b a gr8 nd Qualitive Signning 4 Gunners
I think Coquelin will double up as a RB and DM.Personaly Im very confident in our current squad.If this supposedly week squad could have avoided the early season form,loss of key players and late signings we could have won the league,Yes won the league!So I am confident that we will be challenging for the title like we did seasons before the last one because it is the only season since 06/07 where we never held position 1 for an extended period or at all,so all that “Arsenal must sign big names to compete again” is dumbfounded.