Timo Werner arrival at Chelsea revitalizes Olivier Giroud exit speculation

The last time we heard an Olivier Giroud exit rumor was back in April. Since then, a lot has changed, including the man himself signing a one-year contract extension but also Chelsea signing hotshot striker Timo Werner.

Of course, said contract extension could be seen merely as an instrument of financial security. There had been whispers earlier that the 33-year-old could still be sold despite the extension, and the arrival of Timo has only make those murmurs louder.

For example, according to L’Equipe (via Sempre Inter), Antonio Conte’s Inter Milan are now feeling a renewed sense of optimism in finally bringing Giroud to San Siro. While Werner can play on the wings as well, there is a feeling that Frank Lampard will prefer giving most of the striker minutes to Tammy Abraham and the aforementioned Werner, which could be problematic for Giroud.

According to the report, Lazio, Borussia Dortmund and AS Roma are also interested in signing Giroud and Frank Lampard is apparently fine with letting him go. It’s also worth noting that Giroud still has aspirations to represent his country at the next European Championship, set for summer 2021, so game-time could prove to be a decisive factor even though he is comfortable living in London.

Despite the presence of Tammy Abraham and Timo Werner (as well as the likes of Michy Batshuayi and Armando Broja), Giroud is the only one who is actually proficient at playing as a target-man, which does give us a different dimension in attack. Letting him go would be a loss on some level.

Of course, Giroud has also mentioned that he is happy being a deputy at Chelsea, so who knows, maybe the rumors of his departure are cursory speculation rather than anything concrete.