West Ham have been linked with a fresh move for Chelsea hitman Olivier Giroud, but the Frenchman is not the answer for the Hammers.
Olivier Giroud is a fantastic striker and is probably one of the most underrated in Premier League history. The current Blue has scored eighty-six goals in England’s top-flight as well as providing thirty-two assists. Usually, West Ham could only dream of signing a player of such calibre, but Giroud is not the one to help the East London side.
The Hammer’s current striker options of Michail Antonio and Sebastien Haller, on paper two excellent strikers. The issues, however, are Antonio’s proneness to injury and Haller’s struggles with fitting into David Moyes system. This is why the club needs to sign a new attacker in the January transfer window.
Giroud, though, should not be targeted. At 34-years-old there would be little longevity to signing the Frenchman and the club would likely be back chasing a new striker in the summer. Another reason not to sign Giroud is his wages. Currently earning around £110,000 per week Giroud would become the highest earner at the Hammers. To have another high earner on the bench when Antonio is fit is not a good move by the club.
The main reason not to sign Giroud, however, is Haller. The Ivorian striker has proved to be one of the most divisive players in West Ham history. Hammer’s fans will debate on social media till the sun goes down if the 26-year-old is good or not, Giroud will be the exact same.
The French target man has a very similar playstyle to Haller and is possibly even slower across the pitch. Giroud is not the striker to fit David Moye’s pressing game. The veteran may have better technical attributes than Haller, but he could easily turn into an expensive flop via his probable wage demands.
If the Hammers are desperate for a new striker that can rotate with Antonio, then the championship is the place to look. Blackburn’s Adam Armstrong is in brilliant form but could have a significant transfer fee. At the same time, Bournemouth’s Joshua King could be a bargain signing.