Chelsea is supposedly looking to keep Olivier Giroud another season with Tammy Abraham as his deputy. The push back has been surprising.
Chelsea apparently has a clause in Olivier Giroud’s contract to extend him for one more year whether the Frenchman wants it or not. With the transfer ban seemingly accepted in its totality, Chelsea needs reinforcements in any way they can get them.
The recent rumors point towards Giroud staying and Tammy Abraham being his backup. Some also draw a line to Gonzalo Higuain by saying he will not return because of Giroud’s extension. There has been a strange, almost hypocritical push back against Giroud being first choice next season.
Almost any time someone asks “which striker should Chelsea start in the next match?”, Giroud is the universal answer. It was always painfully obvious that Higuain was a bad idea before his loan but most have seen the light as he has played. Eden Hazard has also been open about preferring to play with Giroud.
Mostly, preferring Giroud up top is down to having an actual striker and because he improves the players around him. Even last season, Giroud was preferred not because he was scoring goals but because of how much better he could make teammates look. In fact, Giroud won the World Cup doing the same thing.
But there are many comments acting as if Giroud staying is apocalyptic. Some of the more nonsensical ones will say Higuain is better and should be the chosen striker. Others point out Giroud’s woeful goal scoring record in the league (not that Giroud has started much in the league this season).
Perhaps the tangent about Abraham being the deputy is what sticks the most. Abraham has lit the Championship on fire twice in three seasons now with a poor Swansea season in between. But Chelsea has the ability to support Abraham in a way that Swansea never could. And while Abraham may start as a deputy, an aging Giroud and Abraham showing his skill could quickly flip that situation.
There is also the case of Michy Batshuayi who has had a very strange Chelsea career. He was never brought into Antonio Conte’s plans and found himself at Borussia Dortmund. In Germany he did well before an injury ended his season. Loans this season to Valencia and Crystal Palace have been woeful and there is a sense that this is the end of the road for the Belgian at Chelsea.
Regardless, if Chelsea accepts the ban they will need to accept whoever they can get. And of the four strikers Chelsea could potentially pick from, Giroud is the top of the pile. Batshuayi could play a part but it may be far more important to give Abraham a clear path into the first team without overwhelming him. Giroud allows for that far better than any of the other options.
The ban will force Chelsea into decisions like this throughout the squad (David Luiz’s extension being another example). The players may not be ideal, but beggars cannot be choosers and Giroud would be fine to lead the line for a little while longer.