Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has confirmed that Olivier Giroud will remain at Stamford Bridge for the rest of the season, despite plenty of speculation about him exiting in the January transfer window.
The Blues now know that the 33-year-old will be staying in the squad and there is no transfer activity expected on deadline day.
The Evening Standard has previously reported about Tottenham’s interest in the striker, while Sky Sports mentioned Inter Milan’s interest in him earlier in the month too.
But the France international is remaining in West London and has six months left on his contract with the club.
“He (Giroud) has been incredible as a player and a man during this time. Will he leave? No. He trained today. No ins and no outs,” Lampard said, as quoted by Football.London.
Chelsea definitely now have a big repair mission on their hands, as they are left with a third-choice striker that hasn’t played just two senior games since the start of October.
The left-footed target man has been stuck down the pecking order behind Tammy Abraham and Michy Batshuayi.
But it will take just one or two injuries for Chelsea to be reliant on the experience of Giroud and there is no doubt that he will be rusty at the moment.
Lampard should look to give him some first-team minutes in the near future, as he could still have a role to play in the rest of the season.
He could certainly do with some minutes in his legs, while a confidence boost could go a long way too.
Giroud is certainly a good enough player to make an impact in the Blues XI still and Lampard should give him another chance.
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