Is this divisive Arsenal star holding the Gunners back?

As with almost every other season, the January transfer window came and went with Arsene Wenger keeping his wallet safely tucked away in his pocket. Well strictly that may not be true, but the £7m purchase of Mohamed Elneny from Basel a relative drop in the ocean in monetary terms for a club like Arsenal.

Despite many fans clamouring for a big-name signing to be brought in, a major transfer to make their competitors sit up and notice, one to give them the edge in the most open and winnable Premier League in recent memory, the frugal manager once again shied away from any mid-season spending.

And perhaps nowhere else is the verdict more split between Gooners than the need for a world class striker. Some claim that Arsenal will never truly be a force to be reckoned with without a talismanic front-man, while others remain assured that they already have a ‘top, top’ striker in Olivier Giroud.

Those in favour of the Frenchman can point to his link-up play, aerial ability and consistent (if modest) goal return, whilst his detractors will highlight a lack of pace, a poor work ethic and the inconsistent nature of his performances.

And therein lies the main problem with Giroud – he may look ‘world class’ in a particular game or run of games – his hat-trick against Olympiakos or brace against Liverpool this season testament to this – but then he’ll disappear for long stretches, the goals drying up quicker than his hair gel.

His ability to link up play is out-weighed by his ability to ‘go missing’ all too frequently, a truly elite striker remains a constant threat and presence for entire games, every game. Following his blank against Bournemouth recently, the Gallic striker has now gone 420 minutes without a goal.

‘But all strikers have droughts’ I hear you cry. Sure, but a persistent goal-threat almost always remains. Take Sergio Aguero at Man City for example – on the rare occasion he fails to score, he remains a constant threat to the opposition defence, buzzing around, making runs and getting in behind.

He may not be blessed with great pace, but aside from the odd near-post run you often see him score from, his movement can be lacking. His finishing, when he’s in the mood, is great but you get the feeling that a striker playing for a club like Arsenal should be scoring with more regularity than the 29-year-old does.

Indeed, looking at other ‘world class’ strikers, the minutes per goal ratio held by Giroud is somewhat lacking. Giants of the European game such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Karim Benzema and Robert Lewandowski average around a goal a game, or better. Similarly Gonzalo Higuain or Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, both mentioned as possible targets for the North Londoners in the past, are lethal.

Of course the Premier League is a tougher league to play and score in, but the aforementioned Aguero maintains an average just the other side of a goal every 90 minutes. In truth, Giroud’s Premier League ratio sits at a similar level to youngsters Harry Kane and Romelu Lukaku. Even league newcomer Odion Ighalo has similar statistics, whilst form players like Leicester’s Jamie Vardy or Leverkusen’s Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez are significantly better.

The point I’m trying to make here is that, whilst Giroud is unquestionably a good striker, able to finish well and show sporadic brilliance, his inconsistent nature and lack of real menace means he will never truly be a great.

Club legend Thierry Henry recently back-tracked on his pre-season claims that Arsenal would win nothing with Giroud leading the line, claiming that he had discovered a consistency in his game. That came just after his brace against Liverpool and just before his current goal drought.

Sure, Arsenal have goal-scorers all over the pitch but they also have suppliers all over the pitch. A truly World-class striker would score 20+ goals every season in the league alone and, whilst the Frenchman may be slowly improving during his time in North London, he will never really be a truly great player, a factor that may stop this talented Arsenal side from becoming a truly great one.

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