Olivier Giroud to stay at Chelsea – will it cost him a Euro 2020 spot?

Despite being linked with a move away, Olivier Giroud will stay put at Chelsea, despite his hunger for more playing time increasing with Euro 2020 in sight.

Olivier Giroud has become a forgotten man in football. Once the starting striker for one of the biggest clubs in the world, Arsenal, and then the starting striker for the World Cup-winning France, he has become an outcast at Chelsea under Frank Lampard, as the Englishman continues to opt for Tammy Abraham and Michy Batshuayi.

With Euro 2020 approaching, Giroud’s lack of appearances for Chelsea is a serious issue, as the burly center-forward has been a big part of Didier Deschamps’ set-up for over 6 years now.

While I’m sure Deschamps still has Giroud in his plans – probably as a starter too – he might have to come up with a few backup plans in case the striker’s quest for playing time doesn’t succeed.

Throughout this January transfer window, Giroud has been linked with moves away. One of the more recent and baffling rumours linked the former Arsenal centurion-scorer to the Gunners’ arch-rivals, Spurs. While Arsenal fans would have puked at the sight of it, Jose Mourinho’s team does actually have a gaping hole at the top of their XI with Harry Kane out injured, and Giroud most certainly would have played regularly. The Frenchman was also linked with Lazio, although that was short-lived.

https://twitter.com/Ifcmatt/status/1222960324904718337

Now, Giroud is actually set to stay at Chelsea after no move materialised. While I am quite certain he will still be in France’s Euro 2020 squad even if he hardly plays from now till May, there’s no guarantee that he will be a starter.

We all know Giroud is one of Deschamps’ favourites, but even with that being the case, it’s hard to justify starting a player at a major tournament if he can hardly get minutes for his club team.

Therefore, Olivier Giroud’s future with the France national team hangs in the balance. If he wants to continue starting for the world champions as he did at the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2016, then he will have to find a way to change Lampard’s mind and break into Chelsea’s XI.