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Arsenal rocked: Forward admits he may quit club this summer

By mac14 on July 12, 2017

Arsenal have been rocked as Olivier Giroud has been quoted as saying in the Daily Mail that he may be forced to quit the club this summer.

Giroud’s future at the Emirates has been the subject of much speculation in the media as he looks set to fall down the pecking order following the arrival of Alexandre Lacazette.

Everton, West Ham and Marseille have all been strongly linked with the French international, according to the Mail, as clubs look to lure him away with the promise of regular first team football.

Arsene Wenger claimed yesterday that Giroud won’t be sold this summer, however, the player may have other ideas as he’s admitted that a move away from North London could be on the cards.

Giroud said leaving is an option and while he admits he’s enjoyed his five years at the club, he referred to his time at Arsenal in the past tense on several occasions.

The striker is quoted as saying by the Daily Mail:

‘It (leaving) is an option to be honest with you. I’m here in pre-season, I wanted to travel. Some people asked me if I am going to travel or not and of course, I am Arsenal player and for the moment I am here so I just want to prepare well for the season and we will see later.

‘It is true that I really enjoyed my five years with Arsenal. I’m still an Arsenal player for the moment so I try to be professional. No matter what happens, I did my job on the pitch.

‘It’s been five years that I’ve been here. It could be my sixth one. I had an amazing welcome from the fans and from the club and it has been five amazing years for me.

‘I won’t forget it, no matter what happens. We will see about my future but I am still an Arsenal player for the moment.’

Lacazette’s arrival has certainly put the pressure on Giroud even further as Danny Welbeck was ahead of him in the pecking order during the second half of last season, but Olivier did suggest that he could yet stay and fight for his place.

He continued:

‘It’s always nice for the club to get several strikers with different qualities and it is always nice for competition and it helps you to step up every time,’ he said.

‘I really enjoyed all my time at the Arsenal and I scored a few nice goals but always like to speak about the team, the team spirit and the team work.’

Giroud signed a new three-year deal in January so we are under no pressure to sell if Wenger really wants to keep hold of him but I have a feeling we’ll see the Frenchman make a move away from the club later this summer.

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The 30-year-old has taken his fair share of stick but I actually think he’d be a huge loss as he’s a very useful player to have in the squad and gives us a real ‘Plan B’ from the bench, so I’d personally be disappointed to see him go.