West Ham have been dealt a huge blow in their pursuit of Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud after manager Arsene Wenger stated that his club “need” the Frenchman ahead of the 2017/18 campaign, according to reports from Football London.
It was previously understood that Giroud was no longer part of Wenger’s plans at the Emirates amidst the veteran manager’s pursuits of a number of high profile forward including Monaco wonderkid Kylian Mbappe and Lyon’s Alexandre Lacazette, however it now has come to light that Giroud is still considered a key member of Wenger’s side.
“It has been a frustrating season for him because he has not played a lot. And when he has played well, he has not always played the next match.” said Wenger, before adding: “He has won us a lot of points when he has come on because he has scored lots of times. He has qualities that our team need.”
The Hammers were favourites to land the striker, with Sky Sports reporting that Slaven Bilic was keen on bringing the striker to the London Stadium in his own search for a new frontman, and while a deal may not be totally off the cards, the news will come as disappointment to many West Ham fans who had hoped their club were to secure the goalscoring Frenchman.
Giroud scored 16 times last season for the Gunners, despite making only 17 starts.
