West Ham United’s search for a new striker has taken them across the capital, as they consider making a daring swoop for Olivier Giroud.
The Hammers limped to an 11th place finish in the Premier League last season, which was a huge disappointment considering the huge strides they made in the previous campaign when they flirted with a top-four finish before slipping to seventh. Much has been made of them failing to get to grips with their new home, having lost eight times at the Olympic Stadium.
Bilic, though, still feels he can put things right next term and he has been given the backing of his board. A top priority for the former Croatia international is a new striker, and he has already been linked with Manchester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho and Chelsea’s Michu Batshuayi. But the latest name said to be on the radar is Giroud, who is playing his trade across London at Arsenal.
The France international has been at the Emirates Stadium since the summer of 2012, when he joined from Montpellier for a fraction under £10million. He has gone on to make 226 appearances for the Gunners in all competitions and is just two short of a landmark century of goals, and during his time at the club he has helped them lift the FA Cup in 2014, 2015, and 2017.
Last season, though, was a frustrating one for the 30-year-old as he played second fiddle to Alexis Sanchez in the central striker role. This reduced Giroud to just 11 Premier League starts, yet this didn’t stop him from signing a new contract in January. Despite this, he has recently indicated that he would consider leaving Arsene Wenger’s side if his situation did not improve.
Although the future of Sanchez is somewhat clouded, Arsenal have already been linked with Kylian Mbappe of Monaco and Alexandre Lacazette of Lyon. It has even been suggested that Giroud could be offered to either club as part of a potential deal, but Bilic could try and intercept such an option by offering the player the chance of regular first team football at West Ham.
