Olivier Giroud Departs

[Michael Tucker]

 

 

Giroud signs for Chelsea

NEWSWED 31 JAN 2018

Chelsea Football Club has today completed the signing of striker Olivier Giroud from Arsenal.

Giroud arrives with a wealth of experience and a proven pedigree at the highest level having scored goals regularly in the Premier League, in Europe and on the international stage, where he has represented France at three major tournaments.

A strong, physical forward, Giroud is lethal in the air and clinical with his feet in and around the penalty area.

The 31-year-old will wear the number 18 shirt and has signed an 18-month-contract.

Giroud said: ‘Chelsea is one of the biggest teams in the Premier League. They have won maybe the most trophies in the last six or seven years. It’s a massive club and I am proud to sign for Chelsea, and I’m looking forward to playing.’

Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia added: ‘Olivier is a proven talent at the top level and we are very pleased to call him a Chelsea player.

‘He has scored goals regularly throughout his career and is well accustomed to English football and the Premier League. We are sure he will be a fantastic signing.’

Giroud joins compatriots N’Golo Kante and Tiemoue Bakayoko in the Chelsea squad, and he is eligible to play in all three competitions for the Blues.

[Sea foot]

Welcome Olivier. Get ready for the booing from your old best mates when we play them next season. 

[Mark Kelly]

Think this is a decent signing , will certainly get some use .

Welcome Olivier to a decent club.

[The Fab 4]

A desperately needed physical presence upfront. Let's hope he produces the goods and welcome him with open arms.

[Wolfie Smith]

Welcome Oliver

At least you are not recoving from a serious injury and can hit the ground running, unlike the other signing this window

[Holymoly]

Hopefully he can convince Conte to play him sooner rather than later. A dustbin sitting on the penalty spot would provide more of a threat than the team we put out against Bournmouth.

[chiswickblue]

2 hours ago, Holymoly said:

Hopefully he can convince Conte to play him sooner rather than later. A dustbin sitting on the penalty spot would provide more of a threat than the team we put out against Bournmouth.

Having a number 9 is obviously so vital to how Conte wants us to play, and Hazard/Willian/Pedro are so wasted as false nines, that it's amazing we still only have 2 strikers. We'll have to wait until next season, hopefully, to have a full complement of players in such a vital area.

[Droy was my hero]

4 minutes ago, chiswickblue said:

Having a number 9 is obviously so vital to how Conte wants us to play, and Hazard/Willian/Pedro/Morata/Bats/Bakayoko are so wasted as false nines, that it's amazing we still only have 2 strikers. We'll have to wait until next season, hopefully, to have a full complement of players in such a vital area.

Fixed as they all do the role falsely.
The only guy that actually offers a presence in the oppo half is Alonso.  But I'm sure we can do better.

[chiswickblue]

35 minutes ago, Droy was my hero said:

Fixed as they all do the role falsely.
The only guy that actually offers a presence in the oppo half is Alonso.  But I'm sure we can do better.

Bakayoko has played out-of-position at number 8, but not at number 9 - where it's mainly Hazard that's been wasted there a number of times. 

We can hope for Morata, Giroud, Batshuayi/Abraham next season, but who knows who the coach will be and what footballing concept we'll be adapting to by then.

[Droy was my hero]

1 minute ago, chiswickblue said:

Bakayoko has played out-of-position at number 8, but not at number 9 - where it's mainly Hazard that's been wasted there a number of times. 

Baka was slightly tongue in cheek, but certainly he has been pushed further forward without having a clue what he was supposed to do.  He ends up taking a kind of No 10 role behind a striker.  But he is already far enough forward that he can no longer provide any defensive cover.  Kante is often telling him to get forward, but the smart thing to do would be to play as an extra target man rather than a 2nd Fabregas (just as a real CB would do when pushed forward, or Alonso does).

I don't mind Hazard playing at (someone has too).  I mind him dropping deeper than a false 9, more a false 4, and leaving no one else up front.

5 minutes ago, chiswickblue said:

We can hope for Morata, Giroud, Batshuayi/Abraham next season, but who knows who the coach will be and what footballing concept we'll be adapting to by then.

I hope people appreciate just what we lost when Costa went and we made the job even harder for the guy upfront.