giroud to arsenal Archives

GIROUD | PODOLSKI | AND WHAT EXACTLY THEY BRING TO THE EMIRATES?

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Jun 252012

The simplest answer to the heading has to be goals. And lots of them. But lets see what roles they’ll be playing at Arsenal.

Lukas Podolski is the first one we’ll look at. Arsenal confirmed the signing of Lukas from FC Koln for an undisclosed fee, rumored to be in the region of £10.6M. Lukas has played on the left of the front three for most of his career. That’s where I think wenger will deploy him at AFC. He can also play up top with a strike partner or on his own, although we haven’t seen much of him as a lone striker. He has been a regular at Cologne and Germany since 2003 and had a 3 year stint at Bayern Munich from 06 to 09. He scored 46 goals in 81 games in his first spell with Cologne, and 33 in 88 in his second spell. At Bayern, he is deemed as a failure as he only managed 15 goals in 3 years.

But let’s focus on his most recent form at Cologne. He’s been a regular goal threat for a team who was fighting relegation for most of the season. So what he brings to Arsenal?? The answer is Simple. He comes with Pedigree, international experience, amazing work ethic, goals, assists … and a great lad to have around in training and in the dressing room. He’s a more refined left sided Theo Walcott IMO. With a footballing brain, that is, as some pundits might suggest. Arsenal have lacked a regular goal scorer from the left wing of late. Arshavin, and most recently Gervinho have failed to live up to those expectations. So hopefully, he’ll score some valuable goals for us.

And what we have seen at the euros, He’s a team player who tracks back and helps his full back out. Something Arshavin failed to do on a regular basis. In Poldi, we’ve got an international proven goal scorer, with a great attitude. Credit must also be given to Wenger for tying him up early. Great bit of business. Cheerio.

Now, on to our latest capture, Olivier Giroud. Ok ok, he isn’t confirmed by Arsenal.com yet, but the deal is all but done. It cost us around £12.6M to acquire the services of Montpellier’s top scorer who will sign a 5 yr. deal pending a Medical at London Colney.

I have only watched him on YouTube to be honest, but I’ve contacted some Gooners who closely follow the French League, MHSC games to be precise. Olivier Giroud,26, scored 21 goals last season and won the French golden boot award . Now again, the same ol question, What does he bring to Arsenal? Hmmmmmmmm, wait, looking for a suitable word..ah, yes. It’s called plan B. The same plan B all Gooners said we lacked. Stoke Rugby Club. Beware.

At 88 kg, 6 ft.3 in tall, He utilises every inch of that frame. He won 70% of the aerial duels last season, more than any top 4 striker in the to 5 leagues across Europe. His hold up play is among the best, brings other team mates into the game, which is indicated by his 9 assists last season.

And the best thing is…He never fails to shine in big games.

I guess the first line of the blog was quite appropriate.

Hope you liked reading,

@L_KoscielnyFans.

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Montpellier Star Olivier Giroud Set To Join Arsenal In The Next 48 Hours?

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Jun 132012

The emergence of Olivier Giroud has alerted several clubs across Europe including: Bayern Munich, Napoli, Atletico Madrid, Juventus and Arsenal. The striker is hot property at the moment following a sensational, breakthrough season in France over the course of the season just passed. Arsenal are said to be very keen on the French striker with Arsenal club scout Gilles Grimandi having this to say previously “He’s one of those we’re looking at. It is impossible not to watch him after his development in the past two years”. Giroud is said to be flattered by the Gunners reported interest and strong reports suggest that striker wants to ply his trade in the Barclays Premier League next season, with Arsenal.

So How Has Giroud Faired In France Over The Past Season?

Well, he ended the season as Ligue 1 top scorer, with an impressive goals tally for the season . He is the stand out figure at his current club Montpellier and they of course rate him very highly. As much as Montpellier would love to keep the French striker he seems keen to experience a new style of football elsewhere and with the players clause in his contract believed to be between £12million- £15million Arsenal Football Club could land the French international at a very reasonable price in todays modern transfer market.

Furthermore, Giroud is a good, strong, physical striker who would provide Arsenal with a different option upfront. He showed what is capable of against a strong German team in a friendly earlier on in the season. He scored for France in a 2-1 friendly win over Germany before the start of Euro 2012.

Could He Potentially Have The Same Impact As Koscielny Has Had Since He Left France If He Were To Join Arsenal?

Olivier Giroud is definitely a striker to look out for! Although, he was an inexpensive risk when he joined Montpellier he has certainly proved to be a bargain for the French club. He has only recently emerged as a quality striker over the course of the last two seasons, but he looks a very able striker who could complement Robin Van Persie and Lukas Podolski greatly. He would be a great addition to the Arsenal squad and provide ideal, much-needed striking competition. A move to Arsenal would suit the player and he would surely improve his game further by joining the Gunners. His movement and goal scoring prowess will boost Arsenal’s attacking options significantly, further easing the pressure off Robin Van Persie if he remains an Arsenal player. Some people believe that signing Giroud from Montpellier will signal the end of Robin Van Persie’s time at Arsenal, however, the club remain determined to keep hold of the Dutch striker. The prospect of Van Persie, Podolski and Giroud all available as attacking options for the London giants is mouth-watering.

Moreover, Arsene Wenger’s knowledge of French football has served the club very well in the past with the likes of: Robert Pires, Thierry Henry, Emmanuel Petit, Anelka and many others all proving to be great purchases.

Montpellier manager Rene Girard also told French Radio Station RMC recently that “Arsenal are very interested and Giroud wants to play in England, if Arsene agrees with the president, he will sign for them,” further increasing the likelihood that the player will join Arsenal.

In my opinion, Giroud would be a great signing for Arsenal without the hefty price tag of other players available on the transfer market. Consequently, the move could be completed in the next 48 hours with the chances of the player joining Arsenal looking highly likely. But, until a deal is done we must wait and hope…

Please follow me on twitter: @JasonBoyne94 for regular article updates and more!

Feel free to check out the video of Montpellier’s star striker in action below

Do You Rate Giroud Football Fans? Are You Impressed By What You Have Seen Of The Striker In The Video?

Feel free to comment below football fans, all feedback is much appreciated!

Olivier Giroud On His Way To Arsenal This Summer?

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May 072012

The emergence of Olivier Giroud has alerted several clubs across Europe including: Bayern Munich, Napoli, Atletico Madrid, Juventus and Arsenal. The striker is hot property at the moment following a sensational, breakthrough season in France over the course of this season. Arsenal are said to be very keen on the French striker with Arsenal club scout Gilles Grimandi having this to say “He’s one of those we’re looking at. It is impossible not to watch him after his development in the past two years”. Giroud is said to be flattered by the Gunners reported interest but it remains to be seen whether the striker wants to ply his trade in the Barclays Premier League next season. Although, the player has stated that he likes “the frenchy feel at Arsenal” and this could sway his decision. Any move for Giroud would seem to depend on Arsenal flogging the likes of Chamakh, and Bendtner permanently in the summer.

So How Has Giroud Faired In France This Season?

Well, he is the current Ligue 1 top scorer with 21 goals so far this season. He is the stand out figure at his current club Montpellier and they of course rate him very highly. The strikers form has lead to Montpellier placing a £30million + price tag on his head which is too inflated a price, but I believe his current club would settle for half this amount. It is also believed that this price tag has been placed on the strikers head to warn off any potential suitors for now.

Giroud has a good, strong physical presence and he showed this against Germany earlier on the year. Moreover, he also scored for France in this international friendly as France beat Germany 2-1, further raising his profile on the world stage.

Could He Potentially Have The Same Impact As Koscielny Has Had Since He Left France If He Were To Join Arsenal?

It is also important to consider Arsenal have now signed Lukas Podolski which will of course impact a decision to further add to the clubs striking option. With an Arsenal summer clear out expected, and a refreshed, shaken up squad expect the club to be very active in this summers window. Robin Van Persie, Podolski and Giroud are all team players, with great movement in and around the penalty area. What a lethal strike force them three could be…

Arsene Wenger’s knowledge of French football has served the club very well in the past with the likes of: Robert Pires, Thierry Henry, Emmanuel Petit, Anelka and many others all proving to be great purchases.

Olivier Giroud is definitely a striker to look out for! Although, he was an inexpensive risk for Montpellier at first he has now proved his worth. He has only recently emerged as a quality striker over the course of this season and last season, but he looks a very able striker who could complement Robin Van Persie greatly. He would be a great addition to the Arsenal squad and provide ideal, much-needed striking competition. A move to Arsenal would suit the player and he would surely improve his game further by joining the Gunners.

Only time will tell whether the player decides to leave French league leaders Montpellier…

Follow me on twitter @JasonBoyne94

Feel free to check out the video of the striker in action below

Do You Rate Giroud Football Fans? Are You Impressed By What You Have Seen Of The Striker In The Video?

Feel free to comment below football fans, all feedback is much appreciated!

McDermott Tips Siggurdsson for Arsenal Success – Arsenal Transfer Talk

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Apr 052012

Evening all,

As the week slips away and we start to move towards the weekend, some mouth-watering football awaits us. This Sunday see’s Manchester City visit the Emirates stadium trying to keep their title hopes alive. They are facing the one of the most in form teams in the Premier League (if you ignore the QPR defeat) and I hope we give them a good thrashing; after all it’s the least they deserve. I’m sure all football fans across the world would pay to see the look on all the City fans faces when they realise that you can’t buy trophies. Regarding team news, there is little to be said at this stage but during the week various stories have emerged regarding Arsenal’s summer targets, the latest one being on loan Hoffenheim midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson. Reading Boss Brian McDermott, who managed the midfielder, thinks he has the quality to cut it at the top level.

“I spoke to Arsene about him and you could not tell me he could not play for Arsenal,”

To be honest, from that single quote, it tells us very little. Sigurdsson has far from proved himself at a top club and has a long way to go before we can start speculating moves to a bigger club. He has although, just been awarded the Barclays Premier league player of the month and there is no doubt he is a promising talent. The reaction online seems to be a good one, in many people’s eyes we need to buy a goal scoring midfielder. I agree with this, since the departure of Fabregas and Na$ri last summer we haven’t really replaced them with any players with an eye for goal. Arteta was the best signing of last summer in my opinion, but I think we can all agree that he should be scoring more than he is currently. All we really need is someone to share the burden with RVP as if *touch wood* he did get injured; we currently don’t have anyone providing on a regular basis.

Moving on,

Nicklas Bendtner remains indecisive about his future with Arsenal, speaking to The Shields Gazette, he said,

“I really like the club and the manager has done really well since he came in here, but I haven’t given it any thought yet.

“I still have two years left with Arsenal. It isn’t just up to me.

“Ideally it would only be in my hands, but I’m just waiting to see in the summer.

“We’ve got the Euros, then in the summer after the Euros, we will see where we are.”

Now, I like Bendtner and I hope he comes back. He is clearly a better alternative to Chamakh, who’s form is nowhere near good enough for a top four Club. When you sub a striker on from the bench, you expect an impact; Bendtner has that, but unfortunately Chamakh doesn’t. Unfortunately, with the imminent arrival of Podolski, I think his chances in the first team will be limited, but even if he doesn’t stay I’m sure Barcelona would be happy invest in someone of his calibre.

Finally, after being heavily linked with Arsenal over the past few days, Oliver Giroud has spoken publicly about how he will continue to concentrate on the job in hand,

“I can’t let it trouble me.

“I want to carry on being good with Montpellier and keep producing what I’ve done since the start of the season, and take the club where it should be, into the Champions league or even higher.”

I must admit, I don’t know much about Giroud but from what I have seen (YouTube) he looks like a natural goalscorer. His movement is good and he finishes very nicely. On the other hand, it seems as though it could be Chamakh all over again. If you remember, Chamakh was performing very well whilst playing in League 1 and look where he is now. It is clear that this kid has quality, but getting excited and rushing to buy him would be a mistake. Nobody knows how he would perform in the Premier League or Champions league and the asking price of £50 million is a large gamble. Obviously he would never sell for this much; I have even heard that he has a £16 million release clause in his contract. It really is amazing that a player rated at £16 million last year, has more than doubled in value in less than 6 months. But there you go, welcome to the money driven world of football.

P.S. I hope you all enjoy the new and improved Arsenation website, let me know your thoughts on what you want to see improved via twitter.

That’s it til next time,

Good night.

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