According to Reports have Chelsea have handed Olivier Giroud a short-term contract to stay at the club a little longer.
There has been a lot of transfer speculation in the media over the past few weeks about the imminent departure of striker Giroud, who has become very unhappy in the Chelsea side this season after falling behind Tammy Abraham in the pecking order.
Abraham has proved himself to be a top Premier League striker, leading the clubs scoring charts in the Premier League this season, and rather than sit on the bench on a weekly basis, Giroud has shown a desire to depart the club for pastures new.
There was even speculation in the media that he was all set to leave the club during the January window, but with the Blues unable to sign a new striker, and Abraham picking up a serious injury, it meant that Lampard needed the Frenchman to stay put until at least the end of the season. Now THE TELEGRAPH has reported that Chelsea have extended the contract of Giroud, although a deal has not been confirmed just yet.
Giroud has been decent for Chelsea with Abraham out of action and has put in some good performances, which has even alerted a number of clubs in Italy to a possible deal in the coming months. Frank Lampard recently told Sky Sports News he wants the same squad until the season ends if there is a successful restart, and is hoping to extend the contracts of a number of Chelsea players.
“It is still uncertain if and when play will get underway. We have big players [out of contract] so that’s something I’m obviously looking at very carefully,” he told Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp. “The ones who are out of contract here have been great servants for the club, and actually have a lot of feeling for the club.
“Of course, they’ll be concerned about themselves, in terms of how training is now is and if the pre-season is a rush they’re going to have to make sure they’re alright. So, it’s going to have to be something we have to look at, hopefully we can make that arrangement can be made so they can stay with us. “I would love the squad to look as it has all season, but we’ll have to see how that works.”
Another great decision by Chelsea as Giroud will add some much needed fire-power and will help get the club into the summer window, where they can buy a more long-term solution.