Monaco Reportedly Join Chelsea in Pursuit of Arsenal Striker Olivier Giroud
Monaco have reportedly joined Chelsea in the race to sign Olivier Giroud from Arsenal before the January transfer deadline.
Football writer Matt Spiro relayed the news from L'Equipe:
According to the French publication (h/t the Mirror's Neil McLeman), having sold Guido Carrillo to Southampton, the Principality club are looking to reinvest the £19 million they received in another striker with Giroud the one to catch their eye.
The France international has been out of action since mid-December with a hamstring injury, but prior to that he made just one start in the Premier League, with the remainder of his 10 starts confine to the UEFA Europa League and the Carabao Cup.
He nevertheless managed seven goals, taking his tally to 105 for Arsenal in 252 matches—an excellent return on a £12 million outlay.
The Mirror's John Cross believes the Gunners should be able to make a much healthier profit on him than the report from L'Equipe would suggest:
Meanwhile, football writer James McNicholas believes the striker is expendable:
However, while Giroud may not quite be an elite centre-forward, he has proved his worth to Arsenal time and again, particularly as an impact player from the bench.
The Frenchman's physicality and aerial prowess give him something different to offer up front, and the Gunners' ability to change up their tactics by bringing him on is invaluable.
Allowing him to strengthen local rivals Chelsea would be baffling, particularly with Arsenal lagging eight points behind the Blues in the race for the top four.
Monaco would be a better choice from Arsenal's perspective if the striker is to leave, but with Giroud hoping to remain in London, that may not be a serious option.
