Robin van Persie was never going to be an easy man to replace. After all, the Dutchman’s contribution on the goalscoring front was Arsenal’s backbone in his final season with the club, almost carrying the team to a third place finish, winning the Premier League’s ‘Golden Boot’ with thirty goals whilst doing so. How do you go about replacing such an influential figure? To some, signing a relatively unknown Frenchman for £9.6m came with a feeling of the ‘same old, same old’ Arsène Wenger move, i.e; cutting corners when signing replacements. That’s the funny thing about Olivier Giroud; he was never signed to replace van Persie, which somewhat curtailed his first season at Emirates Stadium, despite scoring seventeen goals in all competitions. After a rather under-appreciated début campaign, Giroud has returned exemplifying the traits of a striker not only aware of his responsibilities, but also aware of how to deal with such pressure, using previous criticism to his advantage.
One flaw naysayers spotted in the ex-Montpellier forward’s game was his tendency to make others play around him, apposed to how van Persie operated as the focal point of the attack, which led to many questioning how much of a ‘killer instinct’ the French international possessed. Such skeptics have been silenced since the 6th minute of Arsenal’s loss to Aston Villa on the opening day, however, as Giroud’s deadlock breaking goal showed everything you could ask for from a frontman challenged to spearhead the attack. Immediately after Tomáš Rosický’s well weighted through ball left Karim El Ahmadi in ‘no man’s land’, giving Kieran Gibbs an avenue to I explore down the left flank, the Englishman’s correlation with Giroud was evident, as the left-back’s low cross corresponded with the timing & pace of Giroud’s run. In this situation, Olivier had three realistic options; take a touch before attempting to angle the ball past a sea of claret & blue shirts, put as much power on the ball as possible and just hope that his accuracy doesn’t let him down or take it first time, putting enough spin on the ball for it to delicately sneak into the far post.
Ultimately, the 27-year-old opted for the latter, leaving Brad Guzan completely and utterly helpless through one lethal touch. Another dimension of Giroud’s game which has been developed since his early days in North London is his hold-up play, a factor that is particularly effective with the weapons Arsenal possess when attacking. Be it aerially or on the deck, teammates can depend on Olivier’s close control & capability to fend off pressure from the burliest, most persistent, defender, which further proves how big a role he has at the top.
Against Napoli, in particular, his extraordinary ability to, well, hold-up the play was highlighted as a leaping, chest-controlled, takedown from Arsenal’s number twelve was pivotal in the turn out of Mesut Özil’s first goal for the club. Under the containment of Miguel Britos, Giroud had a mountain to climb in the pursuit for the opener, though he managed to maintain possession despite heavy pressure from the Uruguayan centre-back. This wasn’t the end of his job, however, as he still had to distribute efficiently to Aaron Ramsey, who was on a mission down the right flank. Doing so culminated in the Welshman cutting the ball back to Özil, who went on to beat Pepe Reina and score. Given the fact that he rarely scores with his head, Giroud decides to test his luck and try to provide an aerial chance for teammates on occasions.
Against Norwich City, his whipped cross proved that his array of talents aren’t limited to what you would expect from a striker of his ilk, resembling something you’d see from one of the best wingers in the world. Mesut Özil leapt up to score & Arsenal’s three points were secured in rather fine fashion. When things aren’t exactly going his way, Olivier’s tremendous work-rate means that periods of timidness are short-lived. Through dropping deep to help out the defence or, most commonly, to kick start an attacking move, Giroud reaps the rewards of putting his all into each & every minute of each & every game. Arsenal’s encounter with Crystal Palace wasn’t one that the former Lorient player particularly made waves in, possibly due to the sturdiness of the Eagles’ back-line, however a burst of pace to clinically nod Ramsey’s cross past Julián Speroni killed any chance of a Palace revival. Arsène Wenger said this on his performance; “He missed some chances but he always got the support of our fans because he shows he is ready for a fight. The fact that he kept going got him a goal. I like his spirit.”
The plethora of aforementioned traits make a strong case for Olivier Giroud’s long term future leading the line, however some believe that to achieve success, an acquisition of Karim Benzema or Christian Benteke’s mould must be made. Personally, I disagree with this belief for two reasons, in particular. Firstly, the incredible level of the Gunners’ performance can be largely accredited to the über-impressive nature of the attack and Giroud up top ensures that all of the cogs turn, all of the time. One significant difference in the side of 2011/’12, in comparison to this season’s, is the shared responsibility for goals which was non-existent with Robin van Persie. Not relying on one individual and instead relying on every player to do their job has proven to be very effective so far this campaign and is a sustainable model for the future, too. Bringing a striker with the intention of starting him ahead of Giroud, more frequently than using him as a back-up, would almost certainly doom the immediate prospect of success, as the team currently fit together like an eleven piece jigsaw and changing a formula with so much potential could prove very costly indeed. Secondly, the acquisition of a marquee signing in the form of a £20m+ striker is a luxury that Arsenal can’t afford given the other areas of the team that require investment, perhaps added width in the form of a new winger or another centre-back would have be of a greater benefit.
For me, Arsène Wenger, Dick Law and anyone else who has a say on transfer market activity should look to build the team around Olivier, instead of replacing him. One common expression that best fits this matter is that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Whether the club agrees with it is something different altogether.
This doesn’t mean that a back-up shouldn’t be brought in to deputise when Giroud is injured, fatigued or out of form, however, as losing the French international could have major consequences to how Arsenal fairs and being prepared for the worst is a must. Nicklas Bendtner, Yaya Sanogo & Chu-Young Park aren’t necessarily inadequate options, though you would be forgiven for worrying about the side’s fate with one of these alternates filling in on a regular basis.
One player who I believe meets the criteria is Burak Yilmaz, of Galatasaray. Like Giroud, Yilmaz’s work-rate is admirable and, hypothetically, using the 27-year-old wouldn’t force too much change in how the players around him go about their business. The ex-Trabzonspor forward uses all 6’1″ of his athletic frame, be it in the box, challenging for the ball or giving a helping hand to defend set-pieces. Yilmaz’s technical ability is formidable and he frequently humiliates opposition defenders with his repertoire of tricks & feint movements, keeping the ball close to his feet as if it were stuck by super glue. In Turkey, Burak has made a name for himself as one of the most prolific attackers and last season, he scored twenty four goals in thirty domestic appearances, leading the Cimbom to their nineteenth Süper Lig title.
Some hold doubts over whether he could replicate this in the Premier League, but if you were to find someone with all the makings to succeed in England, Yilmaz would be that guy because of his physique, style of play &, with him blossoming late, unexplored talent. Chelsea and Liverpool apparently share this belief and have been heavily linked with January moves for the Turkish international, so if Arsenal do want to lure him to the Emirates, they’ll have to move fast.
Furthermore, in the summer, Lazio came very close to securing his services, however the deal fell through after terms could not be met, there’s a possibility that this interest may return, so competition for his signature will be very heated. Yilmaz’s versatility is another selling point. Although, at his best upfront, he can do a sufficient job out wide, featuring on the left wing due to the arrival of Didier Drogba from time to time. Couple this with the amount of injuries suffered to players who occupy positions in Arsenal’s attacking midfield trio and Wenger will have bolstered two areas of his team, inadvertently.
