Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud has cast his future into doubt by making it clear he’s not happy being the club’s backup striker.
The France international has started this campaign as number two behind young forward Tammy Abraham, who has shown what a bright prospect he is after being given a chance by Frank Lampard.
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This is hardly ideal for Giroud, however, who is the more proven player and who, at 32 years of age, will want to be playing as much as possible in the final few years of his career.
Lampard would probably ideally like to keep this proven, experienced striker as an option in his squad, but it seems like Giroud himself has made it pretty clear he’s not prepared for the situation to continue as it is.
Asked if he was happy with his situation, Giroud told Le Figaro, as translated by the Metro: ‘Obviously not. I have goals in my head. I’m here to help the next generation, but the time for retirement has not come.
‘I’m still hungry and have a lot of ambition. I don’t want to be Chelsea’s No.2 striker, for sure. Just because I’m here as an older brother for the younger players, it doesn’t mean I’m out on the sidelines.’
This is a worry for Chelsea, who may not be able to sign players until next summer after being slapped with a transfer ban over the summer and probably for January as well.
If Giroud were to force his way out of Stamford Bridge in the middle of the season, Chelsea would be unable to replace him until next term, so they’d probably better do their best to keep him happy or risk leaving themselves very light up front.