Chelsea: Giroud continues to repay Lampard for trust

Chelsea’s win against Manchester United proves that Olivier Giroud is a key cog in the club’s success and deserves a two-year extension.

Olivier Giroud has continued to prove his value to the Chelsea Football Club as he keeps scoring goals to spearhead the club’s fantastic form of late. Chelsea’s decisive win against an in-form Manchester United squad shows how important Giroud is to the Blues’ attack as they move toward a top four Premier League finish and an FA Cup final. Giroud has been on fire for Chelsea since the restart—and even a bit before that.

Giroud’s scoring goals in virtually every game he starts. He anchors the team’s attack with his back-to-goal strength and technique. Giroud has four Premier League goals in seven games since the restart and he even opened the scoring in the critical FA Cup semifinal against United. He is proving that even at age 33, he can still compete against any central defender in world football. To his credit, after leaving Giroud on the bench in the early part of the season, Frank Lampard has now concluded that Giroud is his best option at striker.

There is little doubt that Giroud gives Chelsea the best chance to win every time he is on the pitch. For this reason, Giroud has to start every remaining game this year. The 33-year-old displays that he is the linchpin to the bottom line for Chelsea winning.  Giroud is proving Lampard’s philosophy—age is not a consideration for playing time—to be true. Not only is age at the younger end of the spectrum unimportant to Lampard, but also age at the upper end of the spectrum is insignificant. The best players, like Giroud, will play.

This is tremendous quality in the Chelsea gaffer. He calls them as he sees them. If you are the best, you play. It took some time for Lampard to come to this conclusion this season with Giroud, but he now has been rewarded. The Frenchman is the embodiment of that acknowledgment. He plays because he gives the Chelsea the best chance to win games and silverware. This is also a great recruiting tool as a potential transferee will be aware that if they performs to their best, they’ll play.

Implications of Giroud’s outstanding form both right before and after the restart could be significant for Chelsea’s’ 2020/21 striker situation. Giroud will be back and ready to perform with world-class form. In addition, Chelsea will have the explosive Timo Werner who can play at the left forward position or at striker. Tammy Abraham, who recently had his contract extended for a year to three years, is the third striker. Giroud’s breakout form could call his status and game time in the team into question. Next season, Lampard will have several top options at his disposal. When injury strikes, there will still be solid depth from which he can draw.

With this in mind, it’s time for Chelsea to do what it needs to do. That is, sign Giroud to a two-year contract extension with a third-year option. It’s crystal clear that he has earned it. Chelsea should now realize what the French National Team has known for some time, Giroud is a winner. It seems clear that when he plays, Chelsea usually steps up and wins. It’s no accident and after all, winning is the only thing that matters. Sign Giroud to a two-year extension, Chelsea—never look back.