What will it take for Arsenal fans to really love Olivier Giroud ? Yes , he is appreciated by the home faithful at the Emirates but not to the same degree as other top strikers . Sergio Aguero , Diego Costa and Harry Kane are worshipped at their clubs . But with similar goal- scoring exploits this season , Giroud doesn ’ t get anywhere near the same level of affection from his fans or the rest of the football world . He is valued as a player but not unconditionally loved . He deserves much more credit . Of the strikers mentioned , only Aguero has a better minutes per goal rate in all competitions this season than Giroud , who is a good link man and an important source of goals for Arsenal . Olivier Giroud has scored 11 Premier League goals - and 15 in all competitions - during an injury-hit season . Giroud rounds Monaco keeper Danijel Subasic during Arsenal 's win in the Champions League . The Frenchman slots home past Brad Guzan during Arsenal 's 5-0 rout of Aston Villa . He started the season in fine form and then was unlucky with injury but he hit the ground running as soon as he returned . After his performance in the Champions League first leg against Monaco , everyone rushed to criticise and dissect his game . If Costa or Aguero have a bad game , there is no discussion . With Giroud it is as if he always has to play well to win people over . He ’ s never allowed an off-day . What has been impressive is the way he has bounced back mentally from that , scoring in four of his last five games . The only match in which he didn ’ t score was against Manchester United in the FA Cup , when he started on the bench . The circumstances of his arrival are part of the problem for Giroud . Arsenal fans have been fed a diet of pace and movement ever since Arsene Wenger arrived . From Marc Overmars and Nicolas Anelka to Thierry Henry and Robin van Persie , Wenger ’ s forwards have always been about great mobility and raw speed . Sergio Aguero won Manchester City the title in 2012 and the Argentine is worshipped by the club 's fans . Harry Kane has burst onto the scene this season and is already adored by the Tottenham faithful . Diego Costa hit the ground running in England and has become a terrace hero amongst Chelsea fans . Giroud is not as quick or graceful across the turf but he was bought as a replacement for Van Persie . He is an entirely different type of player , so that he has shaken off any unfair comparisons with the Dutchman is to his credit . It ’ s also interesting that Danny Welbeck and Alexis Sanchez were signed almost as Giroud ’ s replacements but the Frenchman is still the go-to man in the middle . His involvement shows how Wenger ’ s philosophy has almost come full circle . When he arrived he sold John Hartson and instead opted for pacy forwards . Now he has reverted to Giroud , who is in a similar mould — there ’ s not a great deal of difference between a Welsh battering ram and a French one . Not to say they are one-dimensional players , far from it . Hartson was technically sound , a giant in the air and provided a different attacking dimension . Giroud offers the same . But Wenger now seems to want physicality back at the top of the side . That means the team have had to play in a different way , though that is not a bad thing . Giroud ’ s link-up play is exceptional and Arsenal use him like a backboard , holding up play and waiting for others to run from deep and join the attack and he has been at the heart of many of Arsenal ’ s best team goals . After Robin van Persie 's departure to Manchester United , Giroud was purchased to replace him . Alexis Sanchez was signed to replace Giroud , but the Frenchman continues to keep his place . Danny Welbeck has also been unable to dislodge the totemic striker from his role in the middle . Although he does not have the same movement as previous Arsenal greats , he is versatile and wholehearted , and that has endeared him to most of the fans . It goes without saying how powerful he is in the air and that has opened up a route to goal that has been for so long ignored by Arsene Wenger . Wenger has an outstanding track record of improving strikers — I witnessed how he transformed Emmanuel Adebayor — and he is doing the same with Giroud . His only focus is on what players can do . And you can see in Giroud the benefits of having a manager who believes in you . Giroud has talked about playing out of his comfort zone to try to improve . He has done that and hopefully Arsenal fans will come to love him more . But ultimately for any striker , it shouldn ’ t matter what you look like or how you play , as long as you offer goals . Luckily for Giroud , he does just that .
Giroud is appreciated by the home faithful at the Emirates but not to the same degree as other top strikers . He has similar goal-scoring exploits this season as Aguero , Costa and Kane , who are all adored at their clubs . Giroud doesn ’ t get anywhere near the same level of affection from his fans or the rest of the football world . Although he does not have the same movement as previous Arsenal greats , he is versatile and wholehearted , and that has endeared him to fans .