Arsene Wenger will face a race against time to sign a new striker before the transfer window comes to an end next Monday. Arsenal’s striker Olivier Giroud sustained an ankle injury in the dying seconds at Everton after scoring the Gunner’s 2-2 dramatic equaliser.
Matt Law of the Daily Telegraph reports Wenger and his staff fear Giroud could be ruled out for as long as three months if a second scan confirms that he has a broken ankle. The club are hoping Giroud has not sustained a fracture, but there is major concern that there is a break.
Wenger has already confirmed that ‘it [his injury] doesn’t look good, as he stretched his ankle in the final minute of the game’.
Nevertheless, it’s already a fact that Giroud is definitely out of the Champions League play-off second leg against Besiktas tomorrow night, and probably also for the Premier League trip to Leicester on Sunday.
The French international signed for Arsenal for a reported £12m fee two years ago. Although he scored 16 goals last season, the 27-year-old failed to impress the fans during his time in London, as he received plenty of criticism.
However, Arsenal’s current top goalscorer, and team-mate Aaron Ramsey explained that the striker isn’t ‘under appreciated’.
“I wouldn’t say he is under appreciated. Our fans appreciate what he does for us. He got a load of goals for us last season, he was our top scorer. He is very valuable to this team.”
Losing Giroud for any length of time would be a huge blow to Winger. However, on the other side, it will force the manager to buy a badly needed striker.
With top-class strikers hard to find during the final week of the transfer window, Wenger will have to look at his options, as Loïc Remy and Samuel Eto’o are available for the right price.
If Wenger will revive his interest in Remy, the striker could be signed for £8 million due to Remy’s Queens Park Rangers contract. Nevertheless, the Frenchman’s £90,000-a-week wage demands have so far put the manager off.
The Gunner would show more ambition when looking at players like Radamel Falcao and Paris Saint-Germain’s Edison Cavani. Both men are known for their high wages, so they would be very expensive, more expensive than Remy.
However, Arsenal are able to make room for Falcao or Cavani, as Lukas Podolski seems to be on his way out. Wolfsburg and Italian giant Juventus are both keen to sign the German winger. Wenger could be more reluctant to let him go, if Giroud has indeed picked up a serious injury.
Altogether, Wenger will have to pull a trick out of his bag if he wants to sign a striker who is able to score 25 goals a season. Although Wenger’s most important target is to qualify for the Champions League, as Turkish side Besiktas will try to take advantage of Arsenal’s attacking issues.
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