Arsene Wenger would be crazy to sell veteran Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud

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Arsene Wenger has responded to speculation over the future of French striker Olivier Giroud by expressing his desire to keep the 30-year-old at the club.

Recent reports from Sky Sports claim that the forward is the number one target for  Olympique de Marseille this summer, as they continue rebuilding efforts to close the gap on Ligue 1’s top teams.

The French club has already proven capable of luring talent away from the Premier League, after the surprising signing of Dimitri Payet from West Ham United in January.

Just three months ago Giroud signed a contract extension, theoretically keeping him at the Emirates until 2020, but has been on the fringes of a struggling Arsenal side. Marseille have good reason to believe they can tempt him away.

A tally of 23 league appearances (from 31 games) hides the truth of a bit-part role which Giroud has played this campaign. He has racked up just 913 minutes from those matches, equalling about a third of Arsenal’s total playing time.

It is, therefore, strange that Wenger would be so keen on retaining him. Of course, in interviews whilst the season is ongoing, he would be foolish to say otherwise. Any hint of the forward being unwanted would only make Marseille lower their evaluation.

The rumoured £20 million bid, which Wenger claims has not been made, would bring the club £10 million profit, a good return on a 30-year-old who has given the club five years service.

Yet, financial sensibilities aside, selling the striker would be madness at the current juncture. Arsenal should be looking at rebuilding themselves, and the Frenchman’s departure could well become part of that; but right now they lack quality attacking options and may well lose Alexis Sanchez, who’s contract talks remain on hold.

Giroud has a better goal-per-minute (GPM) ratio than any of Arsenal’s forwards. Whilst he has featured more regularly than both Danny Welbeck and Lucas Perez, statistics show that the latter has needed twice as much game time per goal, whilst the injury-plagued Englishman takes over four times as long, on average, to find the net.

Even Alexis Sanchez, who’s transformation into centre-forward displaced Giroud, has a worse GPM than the Frenchman. The Chilean has been instrumental to The Gunner’s task of keeping in touch with the top-four, having been directly involved in 29 of his side’s 63 goals. There is no doubt he has earned his place in the starting XI, but it is surprising that both players haven’t appeared together more often.

If Arsenal are successful in keeping Sanchez at the club beyond summer, and they reinforce by acquiring the type of striker fans have been crying out for, then £20million for Giroud would be shrewd business. However, as it stands, and given the Frenchman’s great record in the Premier League, letting him leave could be another nail in Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal coffin.

Featured Image: All rights reserved by Emrah Partal