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Football

29th Jan 2018

Arsenal fans are livid at how much Chelsea are paying for Olivier Giroud

'Are they buying his beard?'

Simon Lloyd

It’s been quite the transfer window for Arsenal Football Club.

On the whole, we can mostly agree that Arsene Wenger has played a blinder.

Alexis Sanchez has gone. Finally. After it became clear long ago that the Chilean had no intention in inking a new deal at The Emirates, he’s now been moved on to Manchester United.

In the opposite direction has come Henrikh Mkhitaryan. He now appears set to be reunited with former Borussia Dortmund teammate Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, whose switch from the German side is believed to be imminent. Impressive players individually, even more impressive when you take a look at the partnership they enjoyed during their last season together in the Bundesliga.

Inevitably, Aubameyang’s arrival means someone else at Arsenal has to make way. That looks increasingly likely to be Olivier Giroud. At one stage last week, it seemed the French international was likely to be used as a makeweight in the Aubameyang deal. Now, it appears he’ll be moving elsewhere in England: more specifically, to Chelsea.

Antonio Conte has been linked with moves for a number of strikers of late, all of which fitting the ‘targetman’ description. Giroud now appears close to a switch to Stamford Bridge.

The latest reports claim a fee has been agreed between the two clubs, believed to be just £15m plus add-ons. Despite being the wrong side of 30, many Arsenal fans have pointed out that this seems to be incredibly cheap for a player who is still likely to make the French World Cup squad later this year.