The future of French striker Olivier Giroud at Arsenal has become questionable after the Gunners striker was seen having a secret meeting with a top football agent.
The Arsenal frontman spent 45 minutes at Aubaine restaurant in Hampstead with Muzzi Ozcan the man credited with recruiting Roberto Mancini for Galatasaray and currently negotiating with Manchester United’s Nemanja Vidić according to the Daily Mail.
Ozcan is also along with his Turkish contacts said to be close to Paris St-Germain’s Gulf State Qatari owners along with contacts at other top French teams but is not connected in any way to Giroud whose agent Mickael Manuello was not present at the meeting.
Giroud was in trouble last month after being caught with American model Celia Kay in his hotel room before a match against Crystal Palace leading to speculation that his family is now putting him under pressure to quit London after a newspaper printed photos of the French international in his underwear.
Giroud has been Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger’s first choice striker all season scoring 18 goals for the club, and still has three and a half years left on his current contract.
Arsenal will be out shopping for a striker this summer which will give Giroud competition, but at the moment it is hard to tell if too much is being read into the secret meeting by thinking that the Frenchmen is looking for an exit to keep his family happy or it was for some other business.
The 27-year-old Frenchman spoke last week about his alleged infidelity saying: ‘There were some things which were true, some others were false. But that’s the past.
‘What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger. I’m convinced everything that happened to me will make me stronger.
‘That’s all I need to do: focus on the pitch with my club and take care of my family.
‘It’s been a difficult period. You have to be strong in your head. I used football as an outlet. The contribution of the coach Arsene Wenger was very important. Now I just want to forget about it, move on to something else and make a new start.’
