Olivier Giroud hints at Chelsea exit after FA Cup final against former club Arsenal
Olivier Giroud has hinted he could leave Chelsea this summer.
The France striker looks set to start against his former club Arsenal in the FA Cup final on Saturday, with Frank Lampard aiming to win his first piece of silverware as a manager.
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Giroud appeared nailed on to leave the Blues in January after finding his first-team chances limited due to Tammy Abraham’s sparkling form.
However, since being recalled to the starting XI in March, the 33-year-old has scored eight goals in 11 matches.
Despite signing a new one-year deal in May, Giroud has cast doubt over his future in west London.
He told L’Equipe: “I still have one year to run on my Chelsea contract. If [I stay at] Chelsea, I’ll be happy. If this is not the case, another challenge will be presented to me.
“I can still play in a top league for another two years. I don’t set any limits for myself.
“I remember a discussion I had with Arsene Wenger.
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“He told me that he saw me playing well until the age of 35 because, as I get older, my game would not be penalised since it is not based on speed.”
The £48million signing of Timo Werner could impact Giroud’s playing time next season. The former RB Leipzig striker scored 34 goals in all competitions last term.
But Giroud remains unfazed by Werner’s arrival.
He added: “I’ll be clear, this arrival is an additional motivation, and it was inevitable that the club would recruit a striker.
“Chelsea are a big club, spending money to strengthen the squad, and I was expecting someone to come in.
“With [Hakim] Ziyech and Werner, Chelsea will try to be more competitive.
“Well, then, if you had told me that it was a player of my profile who was going to arrive, I would have been worried. That is not the case.
“As other teams play in a compact way against us, it’s not bad to have a big fulcrum that can make the link.
“But I am not naive – Werner did not arrive to sit on the bench. I will do everything to ensure that Lampard finds himself in a complex situation when he has to make his choice.”
July 31, 2020 at 02:48PM Premier League Football Fixtures and Results - talkSPORT https://talksport.com
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