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Celtic’s Frenchman Over Giroud Would Be An Ideal Signing To Complete Everton’s Spending Spree

The Big Olivier Giroud Or The Promising Moussa Dembele? Who Should Everton Buy To Fill Lukaku’s Boots?

Everton’s hunt for a new striker is yet to yield any outcome. The Toffees, who have been one of the most active Premier League clubs in the transfer market this season, have been searching for a new striker, but haven’t been able to lock down on a transfer until now.

They might have brought in Sandro Ramirez and Wayne Rooney, but neither of them will be able to replace star striker Romelu Lukaku, who left the club earlier this month to join Manchester United. A lot of names have been spoken about, in and around the Goodison Park, but two players who keep popping up regularly in the speculations are Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud and Celtic’s Moussa Dembele.

The Telegraph reported last week that Giroud was a prime target for the Merseysiders, with the Gunners set to demand £20million for their forward. There have also been a number of reports that claim Everton boss Ronald Koeman sees Dembele as the most ideal replacement for Lukaku. But Everton might have to break their club-record for transfer fee once again, to capture the Celtic star (Sun).

Moussa Dembele

However, with Sky Sports now reporting that Celtic will demand just £20million for the 21-year old, which is the same as Arsenal’s asking price for Giroud, who should Everton sign among the two Frenchmen?

Dembele joined Celtic only last summer from Fulham, after his contract ran down. He had a grand opening to life in Scotland. The 21-year old finished his first season with the Hoops with 32 goals in 49 games from all competitions, leading the club to unrivaled success in the domestic scenes as Celtic completed the domestic treble of the Scottish Premiership, the League Cup and the Scottish Cup and did so, remaining unbeaten throughout the campaign.

The former Fulham man also enjoyed some degree of success in the UEFA Champions League, scoring 5 times in 12 games (qualification stages included), displaying that he has what it takes to compete on the biggest of the stages as well.

Dembele has the pace, the power, the finishing and has shown that he can be a consistent source of goals, making him the ideal fit to fill in the vacant boots of Lukaku at Everton. But, there will be an element of doubt as to whether he will be able to make the jump from Scottish football to the Premier League.

On the other hand, there is Giroud who has been scoring consistently for the Gunners since he joined them back in 2012. The Frenchman has amassed over 150 Premier League appearances and has scored 69 league goals in his 5 years with the North Londoners. Last season, despite being in and out of the team, the Frenchman finished with 16 goals and 7 assists from 40 games.

The 30-year old may not be the most mobile or the fastest of the forwards in the game. But he is a top-class finisher of the ball and is excellent at hold-up play, which will help the rest of his attacking teammates get more chances at goal. With Davy Klaassen in the team now, one can only imagine the amount of productivity that Koeman will reap, given that Klaassen scored 20 goals last season, playing majority of his games in central midfield.

On one hand, there is the youthful exuberance of Dembele and on the other Everton have the proven mettle and years of experience of Giroud. But if both the players are available at a similar price, the Toffees should be bringing in Dembele without a doubt.

Yes, Giroud is much more experienced in the Premier League and has hit the double-figure mark in all of his five seasons with Arsenal. But a month into the new season, he will be turning 31, meaning he will be a short-term solution for Everton, offering very little in terms of resale value for the club.

Moussa Dembele

Dembele may be unproven in English football, but having shown that he cut it out in the Champions League should be an indicator that he can make the grade in the Premier League too. By signing him, Everton will be investing in one of the future superstars with amazing levels of potential, someone who can go on to be their leading man, for years to come. His value too will continue to rise from hereon.

The 21-year old may be an unfinished article yet, he may not be able to match up to Giroud’s CV yet, but his talents and potential and his age make him the better investment for Everton rather than spending on his compatriot who will be turning 31 in two months.