IT SEEMS ARSENAL are facing up to the prospect of failing to land a marquee striker ahead of the season and may start the new campaign with an unproven youngster up front.
Jack Pitt-Brooke reports in The Independent that Olivier Giroud has been given three weeks holiday after his exploits with France at Euro 2016 and will have just a fortnight of pre-season to try and get fit.
The 29-year-old is expected back in North London on 1 August, with the Gunners facing Liverpool in their Premier League opener exactly two weeks later.
With Danny Welbeck injured, Arsene Wenger has a number of options in order to fill the main striker’s role though none are ideal.
He could play Alexis Sanchez through the middle but the Chilean’s preferred position is out wide.
Wenger could also elect to give Theo Walcott another chance up top, though he struggled for form last season.
The other alternative is 21-year-old Chuba Akpom, who has never started a game for Arsenal and spent all of last season on loan at Hull, scoring three times in the Championship and a hat-trick against Bury in the FA Cup.
Akpom has reportedly been told that he is to remain at the club and will be required in August.
Such a situation will only frustrate Arsenal fans more.
Having been rebuffed by Jamie Vardy and Leicester, it seems they don’t have a back-up plan for investing in attack.
Grani Xhaka has arrived to add steel to the midfield though Wenger wants to add more firepower to the final third.
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