“He has to leave” – Chelsea player urged to seek January exit for his own good

It seems that regardless of how little Olivier Giroud plays for Chelsea these days, he will get picked by Didier Deschamps in the France squad.

His showings during the World Cup and his ability to find the back of the net semi-regularly for his country certainly help, but there will come a point when the national team manager might have to look elsewhere.

Giroud certainly doesn’t want that, and has made it very clear something needs to change at Stamford Bridge in the foreseeable future or he’ll end up looking elsewhere.

That is a consensus many share with the striker, including former Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Fernández, who voiced his strong opinion on Europe 1 this weekend.

He said: “I think he’ll leave Chelsea in the winter. He has to leave. If he doesn’t find himself a new club, it could get complicated for him. He needs to play and have rhythm. There will certainly be a discussion with Didier [Deschamps].

“When it comes to him, there is a debate, but he’s a profile that is liked. You aren’t going to ask him to sprint or make runs, but he has this capacity, thanks to his height, to help others. You use him as a fulcrum. During the World Cup, he didn’t score but brought a lot to the table”.

That, in itself, encapsulates Giroud’s selflessness, but there are other players playing far more who could end up breathing down his neck.

Sébastien Haller, for example, offers very similar traits to the Chelsea man, and is someone Deschamps could always turn to for the 2020 Euros if the veteran’s situation at Stamford Bridge doesn’t improve quickly.

As Fernández said, perhaps an exit in January is starting to become a necessity rather than just being an idea.