Following a near exit last January, Olivier Giroud was given the time on the pitch he wanted by Frank Lampard, and he repaid that trust the only way he knows how: goals.
That might have led Chelsea to hold back on signing a new striker, but when the opportunity to bring in Timo Werner came along, it was too good to refuse, and the German was bought.
This encroached in the Frenchman’s playing time, who was already competing with Tammy Abraham, and few would have begrudged him a move away had that taken place ahead of the 2021 Euros and the 2022 World Cup.
However, Giroud stayed to fight for his spot, and while his minutes have been limited, he continues to showcase just why Lampard should start him more by finding the back of the net regularly when called upon.
One man who knows exactly what the striker can do is Laurent Koscielny, who played with him at Arsenal, and the now Bordeaux centre-back did his best to lure his former teammate to the south of France over the summer.
How do we know that? He told France Football in an interview this week.
Asked if he tried to convince Giroud to move to Bordeaux during the last transfer window, he said: “Yes, it’s true. I tried. Olive didn’t come and I totally respect his choice. He still feels capable of playing at the highest level, in a club that plays the Champions League.
“He wants to continue to play for the France national team in the Euros and maybe even go to the 2022 World Cup. If he still feels capable of doing it, letting him enjoy it as much as possible. A career is short. (…) I gave him all the arguments as to why I’m at Bordeaux, and he completely understood. He still wants to win and stay at the highest level”.
