- 20 Nov 2024
Giroud offers a lot to Chelsea – Lampard hints he wants France ace to stay
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 17 May 2021 22:02 BST
- 2 min read
Frank Lampard has once again suggested that he does not want to see Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud depart the club in January.
The France veteran has hinted at his discontent at Stamford Bridge due to a lack of playing time, yet when called upon he continues to provide the goods.
On Tuesday, Giroud’s late header decided the Champions League clash with Rennes. Minutes earlier, the hosts had cancelled out Callum Hudson-Odoi’s opener.
“He offers a lot for us,” the manager said, hinting at his desire to keep hold of the former Arsenal striker.
Lampard says that Giroud is well respected in the Chelsea camp, despite falling in the pecking order behind Tammy Abraham and Timo Werner.
“What people can feel from the outside and people can see is what a great professional he is, how highly regarded he is by his team-mates and by myself,” he said.
“For Giroud to get a goal, you could see the reaction from his team-mates. He’s so professional in the way he trains and looks after himself that age isn’t even a factor for him.
“I actually think he’s getting better with age if anything because of how well he looks after himself.
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“I keep saying it but with the busy schedule coming up and the way we play, I will have to rely on players.
“Thankfully for me, Giroud’s a player that always keeps the right attitude, even if he’s not playing regularly, I know I can always rely on him when I call on him like I did today.”
Giroud has been linked to various clubs around Europe, including Inter, but also in MLS.
He has stated his goal is to play at Euro 2020 with France, though national team boss Didier Deschamps has indicated that he will likely need to be playing more regularly to come into serious contention to be picked for the squad.
