Arsene Wenger says he wants to keep Olivier Giroud at Arsenal, but has more or less told the French international that his time as the undisputed first choice striker is pretty much at an end.

With Alexis Sanchez playing brilliantly as the team’s centre-forward, Giroud has had a frustrating campaign thus far. He arrived back late from the European Championships, picked up an injury which set him back, and has stared just two games for the Gunners.

However, he has shown his worth, scoring five times, and the Arsenal manager still considers him an important part of the squad.

Reiterating his desire to offer new terms to the 30 year old, whose contract expires in 2018, he said the former Montpellier man must come to terms with the new reality of Arsenal’s forward line.

“If you have only one striker, the press says ‘why don’t you buy another striker?'”, he said.

“Once you buy one more they say ‘how can you keep him happy? I want Giroud to stay, I want Giroud to extend his contract. He is a very important player at the club, on the pitch and off the pitch.

“I want him to stay but, if he signs, he has to live with the competition. He has to decide if he can live with what is going on, but personally I like Giroud very much.

“You cannot keep them all happy but our job is we produce every weekend unhappy people.”

Earlier this week Giroud’s agent denied that his client would be seeking to move on in January, and there’s no doubt he’ll be an asset for us this season.

Whether he’s willing to accept the role of super-sub in the longer-term is another question, but for now let’s hope he keeps chipping in with the goals.