Roy Hodgson’s Crystal Palace need a striker and Chelsea’s Premier League veteran Olivier Giroud looks like the man for the job.
Olivier Giroud has handed a January boost to Crystal Palace with the Chelsea outcast admitting to Le Dauphine Libere that he is eyeing an escape route from his West London purgatory.
A 33-year-old World Cup winner has been one of the victims of Frank Lampard’s Chelsea revolution this season. Alongside fellow veteran Pedro, Giroud has found game-time hard to come by since the legendary midfielder returned to Stamford Bridge with just two Premier League starts to his name in 2019/20.
Tammy Abraham, with 11 goals in 16 top flight starts, is firmly established as Chelsea’s first choice number nine these days with even the unconvincing Michy Batshuayi moving ahead of Giroud in the pecking order.
So, with the European Championships now just seven months away, a man who joined the Blues from Arsenal in an £18 million deal two years ago appears to have opened the door to a January exit.
“It will be difficult to stay at Chelsea,” Giroud said. “I’m going to have a chat with the coach. Chances are, there will be a change because I don’t have enough time to express myself on the pitch.
“For the moment, I am a Chelsea player. I still have some games to play here before the transfer window opens. Then we will sit around a table and find the best decision for me.”
The Sun reported recently that Crystal Palace are hoping to take advantage of Giroud’s ongoing omission at their London rivals with Chelsea seemingly willing to accept just £5 million for a man out of contract next summer.
Palace have scored just 15 goals in 18 top flight games this season and, after wasting a host of chances during Saturday’s 1-0 loss at Newcastle United, it almost goes without saying that a proven Premier League centre-forward like Giroud would be welcomed with open arms at Selhurst Park.
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