Following their defeat against relegation-threatened Swansea, the ESPN FC panel delve into the bevy of issues currently plaguing Arsenal. Sam Clucas and Swansea moved out of the relegation zone, taking advantage of a lacklustre Arsenal side at the Liberty Stadium.
Arsene Wenger admitted that Olivier Giroud is set to leave Arsenal, but wouldn't be drawn on the striker's proposed move to Chelsea.
Giroud came on as a substitute in the Gunners' 3-1 loss at Swansea on Tuesday despite reports that Arsenal and Chelsea have agreed an £18 million deal for the France forward.
That deal, in turn, would pave the way for Arsenal to sign Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, with Chelsea's Michy Batshuayi set to go on loan to Dortmund.
When asked if that was Giroud's final appearance in an Arsenal shirt, Wenger said: "It's a possibility as well, but all that will be decided tomorrow morning. We'll inform you once that is more definite...
"At the moment I don't want to talk too much about where he goes. Nothing is concluded at the moment."
Wenger also wouldn't be drawn on Aubameyang's pending move, despite reports the forward was at the Arsenal training ground on Tuesday.
"No, because we'll know more about that tomorrow morning," Wenger said.
Olivier Giroud came on as a second-half substitute in Arsenal's defeat on Tuesday.
Giroud couldn't prevent Arsenal slipping to a seventh league loss of the season, which leaves them eight points outside the top four.
But Wenger said he had qualms about sending on the forward to help rescue a result that could have narrowed the gap to third-place Chelsea -- his possible future employer.
"It's a tribute to his professionalism. He's given great service to the club, never let us down on the performance front and saved us many times," Wenger said.
"When I asked him [to play] and he said yes, I have no problem with that."
Wenger also lamented "massive mistakes" by his players, including one by goalkeeper Petr Cech that gifted Swansea their second goal.
Wenger said there was no "rational explanation" for his team's performance, but challenged his players to show more consistency.
"Top level is consistency, you know. And the capacity to push yourself and channeling in every single game your quality, that's what it is about," he said.
Mattias is ESPN FC's Arsenal correspondent. Follow him on Twitter: @MattiasKaren.
Comments
Use a Facebook account to add a comment, subject to Facebook's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your Facebook name, photo & other personal information you make public on Facebook will appear with your comment, and may be used on ESPN's media platforms. Learn more.
Source: espn.co.uk