Chelsea: Olivier Giroud staying at Stamford Bridge a hit or a miss
Olivier Giroud has been open and honest about his future at Chelsea and this time we could see him complete his transfer out of England indefinitely.
How often have you heard the tune “Olivier Giroud has agreed to personal terms“? Summer window after summer window, winter window after winter window, the same Olivier report surfaces about him wanting out of Stamford Bridge.
Before making the switch from North London to South West London when he left Arsenal for Chelsea, there were always rumours surrounding the French hitman and a possible exit. Not much has changed. But as always, despite the troublesome exit talks, Giroud has stayed put and sometimes even signed a new contract extension.
Now it appears the exit rumours could turn into a reality as soon as the January transfer window opens.
"Olivier Giroud says he will make a decision on his Chelsea future in the January transfer window amid concerns over a lack of game-time."
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The reason for this and a reason he has always searched for a new home is game time. He wants to play more minutes and be more involved at the age of 34 years old. He was a steady figure last season in the absence of Tammy Abraham, who was sidelined for the last couple of months with an ankle injury.
He did brilliantly to keep the Blues in a Champions League slot, helping them to a fourth-place finish with eight goals in 12 games. But now falling further down the pecking order thanks to the arrival of Timo Werner, a move abroad appeals as the best option.
Giroud said in an open statement:
"Worried’ is a big word, but it is concerning. It’s true that I felt I still had a role to play in this [Chelsea] team, especially after ending last season very well.At the start of the campaign, I thought I could still help the team, but my playing time has gone down significantly, so that will need to change or I’ll have to make a decision.I’m clear-headed about it. I know what the situation is and we [Deschamps] have spoken about it. I will have to make a decision in January and I hope to make the right one as I have always done."
Frank Lampard prefers him to stay
Adding to the growing speculation, manager Frank Lampard made it clear he will not stand in the World Cup winner’s way if he does decide to leave this time, even though he has him in his plans and is key to his squad moving forward.
"I do have plans for Oli and I want him to stay. He was very important last year. He played a lot of games and made a lot of starts. He’ll always want to play more but he’s a huge member of the squad for me.I have a very good relationship with Oli and if ever he felt that it was going to go a different way then I would happily have that conversation with him. I’m open both ways if that ever changes but at the moment he is very important for us. (Via: Sky Sports)"
All talks arise following words from France national team head coach, Didier Deschamps. He let it be known Olivier Giroud needs to be playing more minutes if he’s to remain an option for the French side and if he wants to be selected for the up and coming EUROS.
Last summer during the transfer window, he came close to joining Tottenham Hotspur and Juventus. Both deals died out and he remained at the Bridge. Like these two aforementioned breakdowns, the striker was close to joining his old boss Antonio Conte at Inter Milan in the window prior.
All of the clubs mentioned have some mean firepower upfront, suggesting it would be hard for him to join either of them and break into the starting XI immediately — like the situation is at Chelsea.
Giroud staying at Stamford Bridge a hit or a miss?
For Chelsea, him staying put is a massive hit and a big plus. Having a prolific goalscorer on the bench ready to come on at any time is a benefit for any team playing for top honours. Sadly, as you can see by the lack of game time it was a massive miss Giroud lingered longer in London.
He only played about 40 minutes of Premier League football spread out over four games, played two games amounting to 94 minutes of football in the EFL and finally, only 28 minutes of Champions League football.
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It is time for him to consider his options and a move away from Chelsea appears to be the most suitable solution of the lot. This is his last chance at playing in a major tournament for his country, so he needs to make the switch.