Age: 27
Nationality: French
Position: Striker
Squad no. 12
Height: 6ft 4
Interesting Fact: Giroud was once booked by a referee for being too handsome.
At the age of 13 Giroud joined the Grenoble youth academy. Eight years later, at the age of 21, he signed his first professional contract with the club. After scoring 15 goals in 15 appearances, the following season he was called up to the senior team. His first professional goal was a injury time winner against Le Havre.
Goriud spent the following season on loan at Istres in an attempt to get more playing time. He netted 14 goals for Istres and returned to Grenoble who had since been promoted to Ligue 1. Here he was deemed surplus to requirements and was put on the transfer list as the manager, Mehmed Bazdarevic, said he “did not have the quality to play among the elite”.
The Frenchman then signed for Ligue 2 side Tours on a three year deal. In his debut season he scored 14 goals in 27 appearances with Tours narrowly missing out on promotion. In the 2009-10 Giroud was the main striker for Tours and by the end of fall he had already scored 13 league goals and this earned him a move to Montpellier for €2m. He was loaned back to Tours for the remainder of the season where he finished with 21 league goals. He was named in the Ligue 2 team of the year and was Ligue 2 Player of the Year.
In 2010-2011 Giroud was top scorer for Montpellier. The following season they won the league, Giroud finished the season with 21 goals and 9 assists and was named top scorer in the league due to scoring more goals from open play after being tied with PSG’S Nene.
On June 26th 2012 he signed for Arsenal and in his debut season he finished with 17 goals and 11 assists from 47 appearances. The following season Giroud netted 22 times, he also scored a penalty in the FA Cup semi final shoot out against Wigan.
How Much Will He Play?
With the signing of Danny Welbeck, Giroud will have to fight for his place in the Arsenal starting line up and I expect Wenger to rotate the two. As the Frenchman is currently injured, Welbeck has a chance to cement himself at the top man in The Gunners front line. For now it is down to the form of Welbeck, then it will depend on how Giroud recovers from his injury.
How Well Will He Do?
I expect Giroud to come back from his injury stronger and better than ever. He knows the club well and understands his role within the team. With Wenger bringing in players like Alexis Sanchez I expect him to thrive with even more quality around him.
Tackling: 4/10
Heading: 9/10
Passing: 7.5/10
Marking: 5/10
Positioning: 8/10
Strength: 8/10
Current Value: £15-18 Million
Potential Value: At 29 Giroud’s value is unlikely to increase
Overall Rating: 7.5/10