Why Chelsea must keep hold of Olivier Giroud during the winter window
Frank Lampard has a problem at Chelsea regarding Olivier Giroud.
The French attacker, who joined the Blues for £18m, has lost his starting spot to the free-scoring Tammy Abraham and is feeling the heat at the Blues.
Giroud was the top scorer for Chelsea in their Europa League winning campaign last season, but it is difficult seeing the Frenchman replace Abraham given the English youngster’s form.
The Frenchman hasn’t found the net in the Premier League this season and starts are hard to come by too.
Lampard recently said he would speak with the forward in January as he wants to keep hold of the 33-year-old (h/t Mirror).
The Chelsea manager has promised there will be games for Giroud but the Frenchman isn’t averse to leaving the side in search of regular football (h/t Mirror).
The Frenchman might not be the quickest attacker in the Premier League but Chelsea cannot allow him to leave.
Giroud offers something different to Chelsea
While Abraham does a great job leading a youthful Chelsea team, they need to have a different plan on the bench too.
Giroud is possibly one of the best in the air and his link-up play with the other players provides Chelsea with a different route.
Abraham still needs to work on his physicality while Giroud can be the focal point of the attack and bring other players in.
The Blues will need to mix things up as the season goes, and Abraham cannot start every game this season.
The Champions League should offer Giroud more chances in the Chelsea starting XI and it will be interesting to see when Lampard offers him regular playing time.
Chelsea also need some experience in the attack and with their transfer ban, they might not be able to sign a replacement for the Frenchman in January.
The former Arsenal star can still do a job for the Blues and Lampard needs to convince him to stay for the rest of the season, at least.
The 33-year-old just wants to play regular football and it could be time for Lampard to mix the team about once the Champions League resumes.
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An injury to Abraham could derail Chelsea’s attack too, and not having another striker on the books would be a disaster.