West Ham United are reportedly tracking Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud.
News broke yesterday that Hammers boss Slaven Bilic is trying to convince his board to part with £20 million to secure the signing of Gunners striker Olivier Giroud, along with a wage package of around £130,000 per week, according to the Mirror.
West Ham fans are desperate for their club to sign a top-class striker, and whilst the 30-year-old Frenchman has to be considered as a very good forward, there are question marks as to whether he would take the east London outfit to another level.
He has scored 98 goals in 227 appearances for Arsenal, but at the age of 30, would the Hammers be making a huge mistake in committing to such an extortionate financial outlay for someone arguably past his best?
The 64-capped France international is one of the best in the game at holding up the ball with his back to goal, but the strange thing about West Ham’s approach for Giroud is that they arguably have the only player in the division who is better than the Gunners star in that department – Andy Carroll.
Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud
The former Montpellier man is wonderfully gifted from a technical aspect as well, but once again…so is Carroll.
It seems as though the east Londoners are targeting an older version of a player they already have, when there are in fact cheaper, younger options out there, with the attributes that the Hammers are actually in need of.
Most notably Manchester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho, who is available for the same price as Giroud. His wages would also be substantially lower, and most importantly, he is a decade younger than the Frenchman.
So why is Bilic once again going down the wrong path regarding player recruitment? Did he not learn anything from last summer’s failed dealings in the transfer window? Why are the management team and scouts not targeting young, talented players, with a genuine vision of how they want to take the club forward?
This summer and ensuing Premier League campaign will be vital for the Croatian, if he expects to stay around at the London Stadium, and by signing someone like Giroud, he would be sending out entirely the wrong message to the fans. It would be a risky move, and it is strange to understand why he has not learned from similar transfer deals from last year.
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic
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