Giroud’s Future
Since the beginning of 2019, Chelsea has had an interesting roll of events happen. Between a change of managers and players, on top of their transfer ban, everyone seems to be watching them. The newest drama is Olivier Giroud’s future at Chelsea.
He is one of my favorite Chelsea players, and I am sure for many others as well. This was not the case with Frank Lampard though. Before the pandemic, Giroud only made 13 appearances for the team.
Lampard has a focus on younger players. Giroud being the oldest on the team fell to the side of Lampard’s agenda. Giroud contract was going to end June 30 so he was looking where he could go next. However, FIFA declared that they will be extending everyone’s contract until the seasons truly end with the adjusted schedules.
There was a worry about who was going to be able to replace Giroud’s position if he were to leave. But looking at the beginning of the 2019- 2020 season, the statistics show the younger players can cover for him.
Giroud did not play a lot in the first half of the season. He was put in the lineup when Tammy Abraham got injured. He won Lampard’s favor when he scored against Tottenham.
After this, and much talk between Chelsea and Giroud, he looks to be staying for another season. However, he may only be signed with a year-long contract as Chelsea has an over 30 policy.
For right now, it looks like we’ll still be able to enjoy Giroud’s future at Chelsea for another year.
Chelsea’s Future
Last year Lampard came in to replace Maurizio Sarri. What Lampard was doing with his other team attracted Chelsea. Lampard was focusing on younger players to train them to play together and improve skills.
He was lucky switching to Chelsea because most of the team is in their 20’s or younger. This especially came in handy once Chelsea’s transfer ban came in.
If you don’t remember what that is, it ensures that Chelsea can’t have any transfers for two years. Luckily before this was implemented, they were able to get American player Christian Pulisic. This was very helpful as Eden Hazard transferred to Real Madrid that same season.
Since Chelsea’s team is very young, it will be interesting to see what Lampard can do with the team within the next year or so. With another year before they can get new players, this will allow Lampard to focus on the team he has now.
Although Chelsea is known more for their defense, they have a strong offensive lineup. Besides Giroud, the team’s forwards include Abraham and Willian Borges de Silva. Abraham was able to score 13 goals in the first half of the season, and five for Willian.
Their midfield is also packed with young players. The most noticeable would be Pulisic, Mason Tony Mount, Jorge Luiz Frello Fihno (Jorginho), and N’Golo Kante. All of these players were able to get a good amount of goals and assists.
Currently, for Premier League they are fourth place. With success, it is easy to see that Lampard may be approaching training the correct way.
When Giroud eventually leaves the team, we will be sad to lose him. But we will be able to look forward to Chelsea’s future under Lampard.
