“He’s a tough boy” – Wenger compares Arsenal’s £12m star to Arsenal legend

Olivier Giroud looks set to return to the Arsenal side when they travel to Aston Villa tonight, with Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger comparing him to former Gunners great Alan Smith. Wenger drew parallels between the physical qualities of Giroud and Smith and told the Mirror that Giroud provides the side with qualities that are unique among the current squad.

“People always want new names,” opened the Gunners boss. “What is important for us is that he [Giroud] is back. He was a bit tired recently but now he is refreshed, he is back, and I am sure he will have a major impact on the second part of the season.

“When you speak to the coaches after the game, they say ‘Oh, what a player he is’. He has qualities the rest of the squad haven’t got. He always gives us that strength. I compare him to Alan Smith in the way he holds the ball up, distribution and goal scoring.”

“We have small players who combine quickly, so to find someone who can hold it, keep the ball, make some room for other players… He does that very well. He gives us a very good balance.

“He’s a tough, tough boy. Even when the medical people say he should rest, he says, ‘I’m alright.’ He needed five stitches after the game at Newcastle. He played the whole game at Newcastle with an open ankle and without complaining. And when I took him off, he didn’t want to come off!

“He’s tough. He’s always ready for a fight even when he’s tired. I was always there thinking, ‘I have to rest him, I have to rest him, I have to rest him.’ Then, on the Friday night, I always changed my mind!”

Wenger spent last summer courting a number of strikers including Luis Suarez and Gonzalo Higuain, but insisted that Giroud was always in his plans.

“I looked for a striker last summer that could play with Giroud and without Giroud,” he said.

“In my mind, it was not absolutely to replace Giroud, it was to play with or without him. After, we took Ozil, who is a bit off-the-striker. But we could have taken someone who plays up front and play in a 4-4-2.”

The Frenchman continued by admitting that Giroud has experienced a slight slump since his early season form, but believes the return to the side of Serge Gnabry and Lukas Podolski will help the striker.

“I think he suffered a little bit when Theo Walcott was out – in his goalscoring. Walcott gets the crosses in and we played more inside. When Walcott is there, he gives us more width and more penetration on the flanks and Giroud takes advantage of his crosses.

“He suffered a bit more when Walcott was not there, so we have to play with some width. But I think Serge Gnabry and Lukas Podolski can do that.”