Koeman claims Everton thought they had signed Oliver Giroud; they need him in January

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Everton attempted to sign Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud over the summer.

Everton manager Ronald Koeman has revealed to The Times that he thought Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud was signing for the club this past summer.

The Toffees made big-money additions such as Jordan Pickford, Michael Keane and Gylfi Sigurdsson over the summer, as well as re-signing Wayne Rooney, but their lack of a striker is now telling.

Everton sold Romelu Lukaku to Manchester United in a big-money deal, and whilst they did land Sandro Ramirez in a cut-price deal from Malaga, Everton’s lack of goals this season is a direct result of failing to really replace Lukaku.

The Belgian hit 25 Premier League goals last season, and it’s currently hard to pick out an Everton player who will get anywhere close to that tally, with Everton desperately needing a striker in January.

One player who was strongly linked with a move to Goodison Park in January was Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud – and manager Koeman has revealed just how close a deal really was.

Koeman has revealed to The Times that whilst he thought replacing Lukaku like-for-like was impossible, Everton did think that they had a deal for Giroud sealed, but the move fell through.

“When we sold Lukaku, I didn’t think at that time we would get a striker in who would score at least 25 goals because maybe it is impossible to find that striker,” said Koeman. “What I expected was to get more goals from other players around the striker.”

“That was the reason we needed a target man because that gives options for the team and finally we did not find a good target. We thought we had Olivier Giroud and that didn’t happen,” he added.

Giroud, 31, decided to stay at Arsenal despite a lack of first-team opportunities last season, but he has yet to start a league game this season, as the arrival of Alexandre Lacazette has pushed him even further down the pecking order.

The French international may need first-team football to save his World Cup chances, and given Koeman’s work with target men in the past, Giroud could fit the bill for Everton.

With 70 goals in 170 Premier League games for Arsenal since his 2012 move from Montpellier, Giroud has been a fairly regular goalscorer, and with guaranteed football at Goodison Park, he could thrive for Everton – and Koeman must rekindle a move in January.