Former West Ham United defender and Arsenal great Nigel Winterburn has stated his belief that Arsene Wenger should allow striker Olivier Giroud to leave the club for West Ham this summer.
Giroud has been heavily linked with a £20 million move to the London Stadium following his lack of involvement in the latter past of last season for the gunners, and speaking in the Evening Standard, Winterburn believes the proposed move could be good for both player and clubs.
“I think Arsenal have stated that they would like to keep Giroud, but they might need to review the situation depending what happens in the summer,” Winterburn said. “He’s probably looking at his age and thinking ‘I need to be playing and I want to make sure that I’m part of the French squad’.
“I think he’s done a very good job and I just wonder whether Arsenal want a little bit more mobility going forward. He found himself on the bench at the end of the season and he obviously wouldn’t want that to happen.”
Arsenal have been linked with moves for Giroud’s international counterparts Kylian Mbappe and Alexandre Lacazette, allegedly having bids for both players rejected already, and are unlikely to let Giroud leave the club until they find a suitable replacement.
“It’s again whether the player feels that he is going to play enough games or is it time to make the break? I think there would be a lot more offers from abroad if he did move from Arsenal.
“He might also be settled in London and if that is the case, West Ham have a good link with Arsenal and if he wanted to stay in London that could be a good opportunity for West Ham to get a very good striker.”
