Olivier Giroud, David Luiz swapped Colour

Olivier Giroud swapped red for blue

Giroud came back to haunt Arsenal in Baku, 18 months after swapping red for blue in an £18m deal. He scored 105 goals in 253 games for the Gunners, and while his commitment was never questioned, Giroud's quality regularly was.

The principal argument was that while the Frenchman was a sufficiently consistent goal scorer to keep a team in the top four, he did not possess the match-winning talent to make the difference in a title race. Arsenal saw Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as possessing the latter quality, but it is an indication of the wider decline Wenger and Unai Emery presided over that the Gunners have not played Champions League football since Giroud left and registered their worst top-flight league finish (eighth) for 25 years.

Ironically, Giroud is now simultaneously lauded in west London for scoring the goals that sealed Chelsea's top four spot. The 33-year-old scored seven goals in 10 games since the restart, picking up where a faltering Tammy Abraham left off. The Frenchman faces renewed competition this summer following Werner's arrival from RB Leipzig, while Havertz can also play through the middle if he joins from Bayer Leverkusen.

High-profile forwards are arriving to put Giroud in the shade once again, but it would be no surprise if he delivered against the team he was no more with.

 

David  Luiz swapped blue for red

Sources have told ESPN that David Luiz's sudden move to Arsenal last summer followed a conversation in which Frank Lampard told the Brazilian he would not be first-choice, highlighting a series of errors he made in preseason. Lampard's withering condemnation prompted Luiz to instigate a move across London to Arsenal, where he has continued to prove the divisive figure he has been for much of his career. considered good enough for.

Two matches against Manchester City this season sum up the Luiz conundrum: The 26-minute cameo in which he made a mistake for one goal, conceded a penalty for another and got sent off was the epitome of the chaos he can bring. Yet in the FA Cup semifinal against the same opponents, Luiz was imperious, evoking memories of Mertesacker from the 2017 final. He's clearly suited better to playing in a back three, and Arsenal do not possess another centre-back of his calibre when he's at his best.

It is for that reason, in addition to his leadership qualities, that Arteta pushed for Arsenal to trigger an option extending his contract by another year. Chelsea have struggled defensively in Luiz's absence, but they made the top four regardless. Luiz will no doubt revel in the chance to prove Lampard's judgement was wrong.