Olivier Giroud, a former Arsenal great, thinks that the Gunners will finally get a return to the Champions League this year. Giroud is presently signed to AC Milan, but he gained notoriety at the Emirates Stadium following a fruitful five-and-a-half-year stint. Before being pulled across the city by Chelsea in an unexpected transfer back in January 2018, the striker spent this time with the club, scoring 105 goals in 253 games. Giroud grew acclimated to Champions League football while living in north London.
Giroud was still at Arsenal the last time the team qualified for Europe’s top tournament, but the club’s abilities have substantially diminished in the years following the 35-year-old’s departure. According to the Premier League odds at the online platform Sportwetten-vergleich.at. Arsenal has a 2.47% chance of making it in this year’s season.
The situation has improved under Mikel Arteta’s management, and last year, the Spaniard came agonisingly close to clinching a return to the Champions League. However, a collapse in the season’s last weeks gave Tottenham the opportunity, and they edged out their sworn enemies to finish in the top four.
Arsenal has had a fantastic start to the season this time around. Before last weekend’s 3-1 loss to Manchester United, the Gunners had won five straight games and were atop the Premier League rankings.
And Giroud is sure that Arsenal is now in a position to end their prolonged exile from the Champions League. He said to Sky Sports, “I’ve also been following my Gooners, and I think it’s going to be another fantastic year for them.” When asked directly if he thought Arsenal would finish in the top four this season, Giroud responded, “Yes, absolutely. I hope so.
His remarks came only a year after he claimed that Arsenal’s unwillingness to spend considerably on transfers would likely hurt their hopes of regaining their place among the best of Europe, even though they spent more than any other top-flight team last summer to revamp their roster. Giroud responded to the question of when Arsenal will again finish in the top four: “Wow, that’s a great question! I think Mikel Arteta has time to get back in the top four.
He continued by saying that money is a significant factor. The issue with Arsenal is that they might not put forth as much money as their competitors, which could then hamper their challenge for a place in the top four and ultimately, a place in the UEFA Champions League next season if they do not win the UEFA Europa League.
