Former Liverpool striker Jamie Redknapp has said that Arsenal attacker Olivier Giroud is haunted by ghosts of some of the former illustrious Gunners forwards.
Ex-Premier League midfielder Jamie Redknapp has claimed that Olivier Giroud is still haunted by ghosts of some of the past Arsenal forwards. The French striker has been under tremendous scrutiny since his move to England and has faced many a lapse in form since joining Arsenal.
“The Frenchman has struggled to live up to the likes of Ian Wright, Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp. It’s as if he is haunted by the ghosts of Arsenal past,” Redknapp wrote in the Daily Mail (h/t Goal).
“He needs to forget the comparisons and focus on the positives. Giroud is such a presence in the box and gives Arsene Wenger a perfect Plan B.”
The 30-year-old signed for Arsenal in the summer of 2012 for €12.4 million from French club Montpelier. Expecations were high from the new signing as he was tasked with the herculean feat of filling in the void left by Robin van Persie who departed to Old Trafford that summer.
Despite showing early signs of promise, Giroud has failed to prove his credentials since moving to the Emirates. He has been Wenger’s preferred strike option, but has fallen in the pecking order to Chilean Alexis Sanchez this season.
The former Barcelona man has done more than an impressive job playing as the lone man up front, and has made Giroud look like somewhat of an outcast. The French forward came back all guns blazing in Arsenal’s last game scoring two off the bench, but he has not done enough to make a case for a regular starting berth.
Redknapp believes that Giroud’s slack performances are due to the high expectations from the Arsenal fans. The Gunners faithful have always had quality goal-scoring strikers to idolise, and Giroud is, unfortunately, not fitting the bill.
