Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has hailed Olivier Giroud and insists he will still play an integral role in the clubs season even if they manage to acquire a top class striker this summer.
The Frenchman also is excited by the potential of youngster Chuba Akpom and has suggested the starlet could play a part in his first team plans this summer.
Giroud has begun next seasons preparations with a bang, netting five goals in just 65 minutes of action including a well taken hat-trick against Vietnam this week.
Wenger has again confirmed he is after reinforcements to strengthen his front line, but not as a result of Giroud’s ability.
Wenger told Arsenal’s website:
[The transfer rumours are] nothing to do with the quality of Olivier Giroud. It’s just number-wise, we are a bit short.Players like Chuba Akpom have done very well again. As you said, we score goals – that is the result of our good team play, of our creativity and our pace in the game. We have a lot of pacy players and that creates a lot of danger.
The England U19 international striker Akpom was in blistering form last season becoming a regular feature in Arsenal’s U21 setup (reserve league) scoring 13 goals in 20 appearances after a successful NextGen campaign- an impressive tally for a 17-year-old.
He has managed to carry that onto the first team stage netting three goals in the clubs two preseason games so far, and the Arsenal boss believes his exciting attributes can be of value next season.
He added:
It’s difficult to say because you do not want to fix a limit when a player is a striker. If he was a centre back, I would say to let him go out on loan and play somewhere.When you are a striker, the mistakes you make are not costly for the team but the talent you have can be very helpful. It looks like he has the physical strength and the technical quality to compete so for him it’s just down to mental belief now and these kind of games will help him.
Akpom could be of use this season in the Capital One Cup fixtures at least, however as he is still so young there is no real rush to loan him out. He can still learn plenty from the U21 league and perhaps look to gain experience away from the club next season if he requires it. But Arsenal have yet another exciting English prospect to look forward to.
As for signing another striker it seems we are not close to signing anyone at present with the Higuain saga seeming to be put on ice and Liverpool battling to keep Suarez. Jovetic has now joined City, so there goes another target we were earlier linked with.
Olivier Giroud has an exciting season ahead of him but he needs competition to push him harder. His Asia Tour form has been impressive so far, his second goal on Wednesday was a stunning finish! He adds a different dimension to the team with his aerial ability and holdup play, while his finishing is certainly developing. But he must be supplemented with a striker that can dribble with pace at defences and scare them.
What are your thoughts Gooners? Do you think Akpom should be promoted to the first team this season or sent out on loan? And do you feel Giroud will still manage to play often if a big name such as Higuain comes in?
use akpom in 1st team for the early cup games,not seen higuain as a top rated player to call him (BIG).suarez would be a good signing but if upping to 40 mill need a longer contract 5-6 years.but then i dont expect much to happen as we are habitual for say we want someone right up to the end of the season then sign nothing,this year it is 70 mill a few years ago it was 100 mill being thrown about.i wont be holding my breath,but there will be a lot of blue lips about at the end of the transfer window.
ReplyDeleteWe all expect some big name signings but the past has taught us never to be too expectant. As you know Wenger would say this and do something else totally against our wishes so I wouldn't be surprised if he does not sign anyone or just bring in some average players.
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