Agent hoping to secure Arsenal exit for Giroud

Ian Watson

Olivier Giroud will attempt to persuade Arsene Wenger to allow him to leave Arsenal in January in search of first-team football.

The France striker has started just one Premier League game all season, despite netting four goals off the bench, with another three coming in the Europa League.

Giroud was persuaded to stay at the Emirates in the summer, and despite Wenger’s desire to retain the centre-forward for the rest of the campaign, his agent, Michael Manuello, told footmercato.net that they will seek to change the manager’s mind.

“There will be approaches,” Manuello said. “All those clubs looking for a striker are likely to come in for him. We have to be careful, and if there is something clear that presents itself, we’ll try to convince Arsene to go back on what he said.

“[Wenger’s stance] can make things complicated. But a conflict, that’s not the kind of thing that’s in Olivier’s nature, nor in mine. We always work in harmony. It’s normal Arsene states his position publicly. It’s completely normal. We don’t need to comment on that actually. Now, according to the projects that come in, we’ll sit down around a table and talk.

“The most important thing is to know what is going to be offered or not this winter in order to find the best playing project. Having said that, that project has to be offered.”

Giroud is concerned for his international place ahead of the World Cup, with France assistant boss Guy Stephan warning the 31-year-old that he must be playing regularly to be considered by Didier Deschamps.

Despite that, Manuello says Giroud does not want to return to Ligue 1, where he won the title with Montpellier before joining Arsenal in 2012.

“Olivier won’t return to France,” the agent added. “Unless there’s a change of heart, as of now the intention is not to return to France.

“Our work is not to limit ourselves to one thing. Our work is to open things up as much as possible. In France, he won the title, he did different things, it’s more difficult to return. Returning to France is the most difficult thing. It will be a solution outside of France if there is one.”