Olivier Giroud may hold the key to unlock the Aubameyang Door – 5 Reasons for Oli to say Au Revoir

The key lies with Oli

So the Arsenal squad were preparing for the visit of Chelsea with a new happy smiling chap in their ranks. By all accounts Heinrich Myketerian is buzzing to be at Arsenal, yes his ‘boyhood club’ after and unhappy spell working under Jose Mourinho. A tough lesson learnt there Miki but all’s well that ends well. Now the players and the supporters are all wondering if our new Armenian play-maker will be reunited with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, his team mate from his record breaking season that saw him named the Bundesliga Player of the Year for 2015/16.

Reunited?

Well – in truth it is becoming increasingly apparent that the arrival of Aubameyang hinges on another of their team mates, Olivier Giroud.  The possibility of our popular French Centurion going in the opposite direction to the Gabonese hitman is being increasingly mentioned by the media and it was first mentioned to me early last week. So, with a little bit of digging and some informed theorising here are five very good reasons how and why I think the deal makes sense for Giroud and in turn makes Arsenal’s move to secure their man from Dortmund a likelihood.

• Didier Deschamps has let Olivier Giroud know that when he returns from injury he has to be playing more regularly to be certain of his place in the French squad for the World Cup. With Les Blues clearly one of the pre-tournament favourites, I am sure the player will not wish to risk that.
• It seems highly unlikely, particularly with the sale of Walcott and the signing of Mkhitaryan, that Arsenal under Wenger will convert to a system that deploys two strikers any time soon. This being the the case, there seems little chance that Arsenal will not persist with Alexandre Lacazette as the lone striker, with a supporting cast of 2 or 3 depending on the number in the back line. This situation for Giroud is obviously exacerbated given that Lacazette is a direct rival for a place as a striker in Deschamp’s squad and the French National team.
• Although the strongest links for Giroud in the summer were with Everton in the Premier League, there were also whispers back then that BVB were interested in our striker once the Gunners had secured the services of Lacazette. Now we know Giroud opted to stay and fight for his place and for trophies with Arsenal but as we stand, has only started a single Premier League match and is firmly Wenger’s Plan B and in the B team. After a rare spell out injured Giroud needs to play and quickly – Dortmund will offer that.
• Dortmund seemingly want the Frenchman on loan to the end of the season before they commit to buy and endeavour to match his Premier League wages. This will suit the Bundesliga team but may well also be ideal for the player. He gets to play and out himself in the shop window leading up to and during the World Cup without making a final decision on Dortmund or they on him. In the summer he will – I believe – have a year left on his Arsenal deal and be reasonably priced for both the seller and a potential buyer.
• Lastly and perhaps crucially Dortmund are a top side playing in a strong league. Presently this can hardly be seen as step down, which I am sure Everton was to him. The flowing yellow machine have numerous talented and fast attacking midfielders, who will relish playing off and running beyond one of the best strikers at holding up the ball and bringing colleagues into play in Europe.

Great memories

Olivier Giroud has given Arsenal fabulous service and many wonderful memories. He has scored and been involved in some of the finest goals our team has scored in the past five seasons. He will be remembered with affection for the gifts he has bestowed on the pitch for his adopted club but the parting gift may be in his hands and prove to be the greatest gift of all: the facilitation of a new striking era at The Emirates.

Dave Seager

Passionate fifty-something Arsenal supporter who has been making the journey to N5 regularly since the early 1980s – although his first game was in 1976. Always passionate when talking about The Arsenal, Dave decided to send a guest blog to Gunnersphere in the summer of 2011 and has not stopped writing about the Gunners since.

He set up his own site – 1 Nil Down 2 One Up – in February 2012, which he moved on in 2016 to concentrate on freelance writing and building Gunners Town, which he launched with Paul in 2014.

The objective of GT was to be new and fresh and to give a platform for likeminded passionate Arsenal fans wishing to write about their team. Dave still of course, writes for the site himself and advises the ever-changing writing crew.