Olivier Giroud wanted by Inter Milan – What should Chelsea do?
According to Football Italia (h/t Daily Mail), Inter Milan have set their eyes on Olivier Giroud of Chelsea as a backup for Romelu Lukaku, who is injured currently. The Chelsea man has been a long-term target for the Nerazzurri, with Conte keen on a reunion with his former player.
Profile
The 34-year-old French forward started his youth career at Grenoble in 1999 and progressed through the youth teams in the next few seasons. Eventually, he was promoted to the senior side in 2006 and went on to make 25 appearances for them.
The following season he was loaned out to FC Istres and made 34 appearances before returning to Grenoble. On his return, he was signed by Tours FC and enjoyed a prolific spell where he scored 36 goals in 67 games.
After two seasons, he moved to Montpellier. A similar spell followed, where he scored 39 goals in 85 games. He was then signed by Arsenal. He was one of the most prolific strikers for the club despite making many appearances from the bench. In 253 appearances, he scored 105 goals and assisted 41 (source – Transfermarkt).
With Aubameyang coming in, Giroud moved across town to Chelsea. He has made 93 appearances for them and has contributed to 43 goals. Giroud is a veteran for the French national team with over 100 games and 42 goals to his name. He has also won the 2018 FIFA World Cup with France.
Chelsea should let go of Giroud
When Timo Werner arrived this season, it was clear that Giroud was very likely to be ousted from the team. Surely enough, that is exactly what has transpired. Werner has taken time but eventually cemented his place as the first choice. Tammy Abraham has become a viable second option with cameos off the bench or on a rotational basis.
That leaves Giroud out in the cold, which seems rather unfair given his calibre. It is clear that he has served his purpose at Chelsea with just 151 minutes of action this season. With Inter Milan offering a way out, Giroud should be happily make a move.
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A reunion with his former manager Antonio Conte should appeal to him. Chelsea should let Giroud go since he is not going to get many chances this season. This is a move that would benefit everyone. Chelsea would get a player off their books to balance the books, Inter Milan would get a good player to cover for Lukaku and Giroud would get more chances to feature.
