50 Goals: How Arsene Wenger has unearthed his secret weapon

By Chris Linnell

Olivier Giroud took his Premier League goal tally to 50 for Arsenal on Sunday, with a successful strike from the penalty spot in the Gunners’ 2-0 victory over Aston Villa.

The Frenchman, who is perhaps among the most underrated players to currently grace the English top flight, joined the likes of Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Ian Wright as he reached this impressive landmark for the London-based club.

Signed from Montpellier for £9.6m in the summer of 2012, Giroud has proven quite the bargain for Arsene Wenger and co. With half a century of goals in just 113 appearances – a return of £192k per league strike –  he has certainly been an effective option in attack.

However, the most revealing statistic concerning Giroud’s impressive recent form is his success on the road. Following a hat-trick in Greece against Olympiakos in midweek, his effort at Villa Park saw him take his tally to nine goals in nine away appearances, across all competitions.

While it is often suggested that the Gunners need a world class replacement in order to win a first league title for over ten years, the Frenchman is proving a valuable contributor throughout the club’s current campaign. Could he, in fact, be the man to fire Arsenal to glory this season?

[interaction id=”566f3ad528f65d38255947d9″]

Featured Image: Some rights reserved by Ronnie Macdonald