Forget Giroud, here’s the in-form striker Arsenal need next season

On a night that marked cinema-goers their last ever opportunity to take advantage of Orange’s 2-for-1 ticket offer, Arsenal fans were treated to a horror film of an altogether different kind, broadcast direct from the Emirates.

As any avid movie fan will tell you, features of this kind usually benefit from striking up a fine balance between a menacing threat and the archetypal damsel in distress.

And that was certainly the case in north London with Dracula lookalike Dimitar Berbatov draining the life out of Arsenal’s European campaign while opposite number Olivier Giroud came over all Jamie Lee Curtis.

When he wasn’t running around aimlessly and screaming out in agony much like the Halloween star, the Frenchman was also busy missing chance after chance for the Gunners.

By the time he was hauled off in the second half he had contrived to miss six glorious opportunities.

It was a performance that may have left Arsenal viewers wondering whether Giroud is the right fit for the role of goalscorer-in-chief at the club and no one would be surprised to see Arsene Wenger re-cast the part come the summer.

One man who has certainly been impressing in recent auditions is Bas Dost, possibly the hottest striker in Europe at present – and that includes Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Christmas holidays evidently did wonders for the 25-year-old, who had a modest record in front of goal for Wolfsburg prior to the mid-season break but has come back like a man possessed.

Whether it was an extra helping of brussel spouts on December 25 or just a change in fortunes, something has happened to Dost with the Dutchman scoring 11 goals in six games since the Bundesliga reconvened in 2015.

And he’s not netting goals against the also-rans either, bagging a brace against Bayern Munich and four against Bayer Leverkusen.

He’s proving similarly prolific in the Europa League having scored two well-taken goals in the Wolves’ 2-0 victory over Sporting Lisbon last week.

But while his current form is impressive, it should be of little surprise to anyone who followed him during his younger years in the Eredivisie.

Previously with Heerenveen, the striker scored a stunning 38 goals in 39 games during his final season at the club.

Now impressing in Germany, Dost has been linked with a move to the Premier League before and though his current scoring record is likely to see any transfer fee increased, it could prove to be money well spent.

Coming to an Emirates near you?

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