Paul Merson has claimed that Olivier Giroud’s future should remain at Chelsea, amid concerns about his amount of game time ahead of next summer’s European Championship.
The 34-year-old is currently the first-choice striker for World Cup champions France and is hoping he can lead the line at the Euros at the end of the season.
But the left-footed target man has not been starting regularly so far this campaign at club level, with just two starts across all competitions.
Giroud has admitted he’s keen to stay at Stamford Bridge if he gets good minutes and he scored four goals in midweek in the Champions League group stage win over Sevilla to surely give himself a good chance of playing this weekend in the Premier League.
Merson is convinced the £110,000-a-week star (Spotrac) would be doing the right thing by staying at Chelsea.
“He should stay at Chelsea because even if he’s not playing every week, he will still start for France at the Euros,” Merson wrote in the Daily Star.
“Giroud might be considering his future but he’s going to get games for Chelsea this season. He’s not in a queue. It’s between him and Tammy Abraham really because Timo Werner is playing wide left most of the time now.
“And France know how important he is. He makes France better. And his goalscoring record for them is phenomenal. He should stay at Stamford Bridge.”
Giroud went through a similar spell out of the Chelsea XI last season, but in the end he forced his way back into the side and was instrumental in securing Champions League football.
It’s clear that he needs regular minutes for his international hopes and it would be a major loss for Chelsea if he were to leave in January, as he’s such a valuable and experienced option to have in the squad.
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