Retaining Olivier Giroud makes perfect sense for Chelsea
Chelsea’s contract extension for Olivier Giroud, as advocated in this space previously, makes perfect sense for all involved parties. This is the case even if the Blues move Giroud this summer or secure a top striker in the coming months. Given the uncertainty around the striker position and Giroud’s knack for netting goals, it was the only option the club had. Rumors about top strikers costing more than £100 million possibly being in Chelsea’s sights make the Giroud decision even more savvy.
New manager Thomas Tuchel arrived in January and promptly assigned the club’s top scorer, Tammy Abraham, and Giroud, one of the saviors of the previous season, to bench duty. These were Tuchel’s choices and while the Blues’ strikers in use never really broke out of their scoring doldrums, who can really quibble with the results? They not only edged into Champions League qualification with a fourth-place finish but also, won the aforementioned tournament.
Chelsea should keep Olivier Giroud and guarantee him playing time.
Giroud’s recent brace for France indicates that when he plays, he generally scores. The Frenchman is one of the most underrated and under-appreciated strikers in the world. Coming on for an injured Karim Benzema in the first half, Giroud did what he does best: score goals. The brace against Bulgaria leaves the Frenchman with 46 goals for his country, just five goals behind France’s all-time leading scorer, Thierry Henry (51). That’s lofty company indeed. Yet, Giroud could hardly get a look under Tuchel in the second half of the 2020/21 season.
As a long-time fan and Giroud supporter, I think he could still have a valuable role with the Blues next season, even if they bring on a big-name striker to carry most of the load. It seems that Abraham is being completely frozen out and could be leaving the club in the summer. Internal exile for both Abraham and Giroud under Tuchel did nothing for Chelsea’s goalscoring drought. It is instructive to keep in mind Giroud’s magnificent haul, his four goals against Sevilla in the Champions League that helped propel the Blues forward in the early going. He may not appear much, but he scores often.
Yet, Tuchel stubbornly kept him on the pine as others failed to hit the back of the next with enough frequency to make anyone happy. Next season, Giroud can remain an excellent back-up or third striker to a top guy brought in like Erling Haaland or Harry Kane. That being said, the soon-to-be 35-year-old should be afforded ample starting time in some of the competitions in which the Blues will be looking to capture silverware.
In a new No. 9, Timo Werner and the versatile Kai Havertz, that’s all the striking power Tuchel will need. That is, of course, if he just deploys these assets correctly and thereby keeps everyone fresh and hungry. Giroud is a true asset to Chelsea. Hopefully both the club and manager will realize that, commit minutes to the French star for next season and carry home multiple trophies in the process.
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What do you think Chelsea should do with Giroud? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!