Did Chelsea bin Olivier Giroud too early?

FT Desk

• Updated: 23 May 2023 08:55 CDT
• 3 min read

Olivier Giroud pulled onto nine goals for the season with a spectacular strike for AC Milan as they beat Spezia 2-1 on Saturday. Chelsea's top scorer Raheem Sterling has five in all competitions…

Chelsea let Giroud go at the start of last season, accepting just €1 million for a player who was only three months away from turning 35. They signed Romelu Lukaku in his stead, bringing the Belgium striker back from Inter Milan for €115m.

But while Lukaku struggled to adapt in his second stint at Stamford Bridge, scoring just eight times in 26 Premier League games, Giroud hit the target 11 times as AC Milan won their first Serie A title in 11 years.

READ: Giroud is still better than any Chelsea striker

Giroud has stepped it up another gear this season in Zlatan Ibrahimovic's injury-enforced absence, and now has five league goals as well as two assists giving him a goal-involvement every 97 minutes domestically, to go with his four strikes in six Champions League games.

"As I said before, I want to play, and I have the determination as well as motivation to continue," the now 36-year-old told Milan TV after his scissor-kick finish against Spezia. "I've spoken a lot with Ibrahimovic on this matter and he shares my mindset. We're blessed with bodies that want to do even more. I'll keep going."

Chelsea tinkering

Whilst Giroud is winning his personal battle with Father Time, Graham Potter is still trying to work out what his best Chelsea strikeforce is, having tried one-, two- and three-man attacks with each of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Kai Havertz, Sterling and Armando Broja having led the line since the Englishman took charge.

READ: Chelsea's "Vision 2030" already in trouble

Sterling has also been used at left wing-back, and that the England winger is the Blues top scorer with just five goals in all competitions speaks volumes.

The only reason Giroud won't start every game up front for France at the upcoming winter World Cup in Qatar is that he has Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema in his way.

Chelsea sold Giroud far too soon, and for far too little!