Wenger rubbishes rumored Giroud transfer to Marseille

Arsene Wenger brushed aside growing speculation today that Marseille is readying a summer bid of £20 million for forward Olivier Giroud.

“I have had no approach from Marseille and we want to keep Olivier Giroud,” Wenger said today at his customary pre-match press conference leading up to Arsenal’s crucial league match tomorrow versus Leicester City.

Given the details contained within the rumor itself, there’s little to suggest Arsenal would consider the move in the first place. For starters, while £20 million seems like a fair amount of coin to drop on a 30 year-old forward, that’s quickly becoming chump change to most EPL sides. Further, while Giroud has lost his usual starting place within Arsenal’s first team, his value in switching how the team attacks as a super-sub is absolutely crucial going forward. Despite being deployed primarily as a substitute this season, Giroud is one league goal away from notching double-digits in that category for the fifth straight season.

Knowing what we know about how Arsenal operate from a financial perspective, I believe most players are always for sale given the right price and a proper recruitment process in place. That said, with the details presented above, the rumor in question regarding Giroud doesn’t amount to much.