Is Giroud the most under-appreciated Premier League player?

The Frenchman is set for a “sit down” with manager Frank Lampard, which doesn’t sound too promising, but is he undervalued? The perception when it comes to Giroud is he is simply a battering ram – a target man who suits long-ball football and has no place in any team wanting to play in even a slightly progressive manner.
Giroud stands at 6ft 4 and is very good in the air, so it is easy to see why some may have that viewpoint.
Yet, so often he has defied those expectations and still can’t seem to shake off that tag of a player who has fluked his way to the top end of football.
His early years were nothing spectacular – he spent his entire career until his mid-twenties slogging away in Ligue 2 for the likes of Grenoble and Tours.
However, his rise to stardom coincided with the move to Montpellier and the stunning French Ligue 1 win in 2012.
The 39 goals in two years earned him international honours before a £9million move to Arsenal in June 2012.
Initially, he was introduced into the Arsenal line up slowly – Arsene Wenger signed Lukas Podolski that summer who was much more of a household name, while the Gunners were also experimenting with Theo Walcott up front to pretty good effect – the speedster netted 21 goals in all competitions that season.
Yet Giroud managed to walk away from his first season with 11 Premier League goals having started just 24 times – certainly not a bad feat.
In the four seasons after, he totalled 22, 19, 24, and 16 goals – and became a cult hero among certain sections of the Arsenal fan base.
His goals have not simply been headers and tap ins either – the forward has showcased a thunderous left foot, a deft touch which Zinedine Zidane would be proud of, and an acrobatic agility to score bicycle kicks.
Yet there has almost been a sense of reluctance in the past to accept how good he is, despite continually delivering the goods.
He is not the quickest which probably counts against him. But his touch, awareness, link-up play and finishing ability should earn him more respect in the football world.
Instead, his latter years have seen him become a perennial benchwarmer – he has only started 14 times for Chelsea in the Premier League in nearly two years after joining from Arsenal.
Depending on how the aforementioned “sit down” with Lampard goes, Giroud might be on the search for a new club in January.
And, without question, there are several clubs who would hugely benefit from his presence, so expect a scrum for his signature if Tammy Abraham continues to overshadow him.