Three and a half years, 39 goals and 119 appearances after his arrival at Stamford Bridge, Olivier Giroud’s glorious, trophy-filled journey with Chelsea has come to an end. The 34-year-old has today joined Serie A outfit AC Milan, in a long-rumored move.
Olivier Giroud has today completed a permanent transfer to AC Milan.
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) July 17, 2021
Thank you and good luck, Oli!
Giroud was set to be a free agent, but thanks to Chelsea exercising a contract-extension option in April, Milan are paying a €1m transfer fee (plus add-ons that could double, if not triple that fee), while signing him to a two-year deal. The Rossoneri, who finished runners-up to rivals Inter Milan last season, are hoping that Giroud can add a bit of veteran leadership (and goals, obviously), especially with Zlatan Ibrahimovic still out for a while with a knee injury.
During his time at Chelsea, Giroud won an FA Cup, a Europa League title, and of course the Champions League, while also adding a World Cup with France to his trophy cabinet. He may have never been the first-choice striker for too long, especially for Premier League games, but he made massive contributions to our success both on and off the pitch. His model professionalism and veteran leadership were often just as important as performances like the amazing four-goal haul against Sevilla last season, or his Europe-leading 11 goals during the 2018-19 Europa League campaign.
Best of luck out there, Oli G, and thanks for everything!