Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud is confident that Arsene Wenger will put questions about his future behind him and sign a new deal before the end of the season.
Wenger’s current deal is due to expire at the end of the current season and the Frenchman still hasn’t decided whether to accept the two-year extension that has been on the table for months or walk away from the club after 21 years.
Arsenal’s only realistic chance of silverware is the FA Cup this season and the pressure has been heating up on Wenger, but Giroud cannot see the 67-year-old leaving the club just yet.
“Obviously, he is someone, ‘the boss’ like we call him here, who brought the club to where it is today, who has made it one of the best in Europe,” Giroud told RMC, via Get French Football. “We are supporting him 100%, it is not like today we would just jump ship or turn our backs. The players, we are the first ones concerned, we are the first affected.
“Today, we have had a very respectable season, with a very good attack, even if recently we have conceded a lot of goals. We cannot be satisfied with that, of course, because we are Arsenal. I am the first to be unhappy, I am someone who is ambitious and who wants to progress. For our fans, we are disappointed because the title race seems like it could be over, like last year, but we still have hope.
“In any case, even if it is not this year, I hope that it will happen next year. I am someone who is preserving, who keeps faith and will always want to progress, who is looking to the future. I hope, like my colleagues, that the coach will stay because I am convinced that we are not missing much in order to win the Premier League. Of course I believe that he will stay, but it did not play a role in me signing a contract extension or not.”
Giroud has spent most of the season watching his teammates from the bench after Wenger opted to play Alexis Sanchez through the middle with huge success and the Arsenal boss must mean a huge deal to the players for someone that isn’t even getting in the team to come out and support him.
Despite only starting six league games this season Giroud has still scored eight goals and weighed in with three assists. In fact, of players that have scored at least five goals in the Premier League this season, Giroud requires the fewest minutes per goal (1 every 82 minutes).
For more stats on Olivier Giroud, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
