Is Olivier Giroud Worth £9.6 Million?

4 years ago, Giroud was plying his trade at Tours, in Ligue 2. 4 years later, Giroud rejects a move to Chelsea in favour of a move to Arsenal. So what happened?

In his debut season for Tours, he hit 14 goals and got 3 assists, but Tours failed to achieve promotion to Ligue 1. It was the 2009/10 season where Olivier made a name for himself. He scored 24 goals and got 7 assists, and was crowned Ligue 2 Player Of The Year. His performances earned himself a move to Ligue 1 club, Montpellier. He, once again, scored 14 goals and provided 3 assists in his first season. And, once again, it was his second season that put Giroud on the shortlist of many managers around Europe. He fired Montpellier to a surprising league win, beating off the challenge big spending PSG. And finished the season with 25 goals and 9 assists. So it came to no one's surprise when he was linked with a move away from Stade de la Mosson. Arsenal, however, beat off the attentions of Chelsea and PSG to sign him up for a fee of £9.6 million. Question is : Is He Worth It?

The French powerhouse was brought in to replace Arsenal's talisman, Robin Van Persie, so let's compare them as well.

Goals


Olivier Giroud topped the scoring charts with 21 goals.

Robin Van Persie topped the scoring charts with 30 goals

Assists


Olivier Giroud provided 9 goals for his team mates.

Robin Van Persie provided 9 goals for his team mates.

Hidden Stats :


Key Passes


Olivier Giroud made 47 key passes last season

Robin Van Persie made 92 key passes last season

Shots


Olivier Giroud hit 161 shots last season

Robin Van Persie hit 174 shots last season

Dispossessed


Olivier Giroud was robbed of possession 48 times last season

Robin Van Persie was robbed of possession 90 times last season

Turnovers


Olivier Giroud gave away possession 109 times last season

Robin Van Persie gave away possession 55 times

Aerial Duels


Olivier Giroud won 132 aerial duels out of 188 last season

Robin Van Persie won 28 aerial duels out of 95 last season

Offsides


Olivier Giroud was caught offside 45 times last season

Robin Van Persie was caught offside 44 times last season

So, in conclusion

• Aerially Dominant - Won a lot of aerial duels last season, perfect for the Premier League
• Ball Retention - Doesn't get dispossessed as much as Van Persie, but gives away possession frequently
• Efficiency - Olivier made 47 key passes, while Van Persie made 92. Yet they both finished on 9 assists

I think that Giroud does live up to his price tag, in fact, I think that it should be around the £13 million mark. He can offer Arsenal a lot. For example, against Swansea in our 3-2 loss, we were being constantly harried in possession and were outnumbered in the middle of the park. With Giroud up top, it would have given us another outlet. A lobbed ball from defence to Giroud would have been a perfect option, his strength and aerial abilty would allow him to hold up the ball and bring others into play. Chelsea have been doing it for years. For Olivier Giroud, read Didier Drogba. We finally have something that we have been craving since the departure of Emmanuel Adebayor, a Plan B.

Post your verdict in the comment section below!!