Reasons why Chelsea should keep this man Olivier Giroud next season!

Chelsea have had striker issues this season That piece of information won’t come as a shock to anyone reading this that has seen the Blues play over the course of this campaign.


Alvaro Morata started the season as the first choice striker before he was dropped and then shipped out on loan to Atletico Madrid with the arrival of Gonzalo Higuain looking to be the answer.

But three months and three goals later the Argentine has found himself dropped from the starting line-up too as he also struggles to find the back of the net in the Premier League.

There’s one man at Stamford Bridge, however, who knows full well where the back of the net is, but he has been limited to just 16 starts in all competitions this season – and that’s despite scoring 11 goals which is the second highest amount at Chelsea this season.

His name is Olivier Giroud and his goal on Wednesday night set the side on their way to a victory that put them level on points with the top four.

His contract runs out in the summer but with a Fifa transfer ban hanging over Chelsea’s head the Frenchman cannot be allowed to leave Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea, with a few additions to their squad thanks to loanees returning from their various loan spells across the world, will have to go with what they’ve got next season if their ban is upheld, meaning there will be no new strikers bought to help solve their current issues.

It also means that the future of Higuain is unclear – he joined on a loan deal that can be extended until June 2020 or made permanent, but that was before Chelsea were handed their ban meaning the registration of the Argentine for next season is up in the air for the moment.

Morata is set to stay in Spain meaning that the Blues have very few options when it comes to the striking department next season.

Add to that their problem of not being able to score via their forwards and that becomes a big problem for Sarri, but Giroud can be the man to help ease that situation.

At 32-years-old he’s no Spring chicken and won’t be the long-term solution to the problems the side face going forward, but with a two-window transfer ban he remains the best and most obvious answer in the short term.


We saw on Wednesday night just what he is able to offer this side – with his back to goal his physicality and strength means he’s one of the best target men in the league, while he is able to bring the other forwards into the game as a result of his hold up play.


While Chelsea don’t lump high balls forward to him, Giroud was dropping into space for Jorginho to put the ball into his feet before using his body to pivot and bring Callum Hudson-Odoi, Eden Hazard, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and N’Golo Kante into the game.

The Blues were struggling to get a rhythm going in the first half on Wednesday against Brighton but Giroud’s goal, which he had been working hard to get, eased the pressure and allowed them to gain a bit more confidence for the second half.

Giroud might not be the 20-goal a season striker that Chelsea will need in the future if they want to stake their claim for the Premier League once more, but next season when the club are going through a rebuilding phrase having someone of his experience wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world.

Chelsea’s over-30 policy means that the club only offer one-year extensions to players over that age, and at 32 Giroud certainly falls into that category.

But that could well work out best for both the player and the club.

For Chelsea, it gives them a player they know can score goals for one more season to plug the gap that not being able to make signings will have, while it gives Giroud the ability to have another season in the Premier League before looking elsewhere for the twilight of his career.

It also give the side the ability to spend next season planning for what comes next in the striking department – clearly, Higuain hasn’t had the success Sarri had hoped for while Morata didn’t fit the bill of what the Italian was after.

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