French national team boss Didier Deschamps believes that striker Olivier Giroud must play more football on a club level. The veteran has been deprived of game time for Chelsea this season as manager Frank Lampard has opted to deploy the young Tammy Abraham as his first-choice striker. On paper, the Englishman warrants being the Blues first-choice option to lead the line and he has so far been stellar, even drawing comparisons to Wayne Rooney and Didier Drogba.
“You know, Olivier suffers his situation. Before January, nothing will move,” Deschamps told a press conference as reported by Sky Sports.
“After, it will be up to him to see. I hope he will have more playing time.
“But we cannot take away his goals, his good performances. He scores, he makes others play well.
“He knows he is under pressure, but he always responds.”
Giroud has been in good form for France
Even though he has lacked game time for Chelsea, Giroud has been in good form for country recently. The 33-year-old found the back of the net during his sides 1-1 draw against Turkey on Monday and the goal was his third in four games. He also managed to bag the winner for the 2018 World Cup Champions during their victory against Iceland last Friday.
It is hard to see Giroud departing Chelsea in January
The probability of Giroud leaving Stamford Bridge at the end of the season is high but it is unlikely that he will leave the club during the January transfer window. Chelsea need an apt back-up option to Abraham and letting Giroud leave could be problematic as it could leave them short of options.
The Blues will likely not be able to sign any new recruits in January in lieu of their two-window transfer ban.
Giroud will play an important role for France in the European Championships
Even if he struggles to gain game time for the Blues, it will be hard to see Deschamps leaving Giroud out of his 2020 European Championship squad. The player offers plenty of experience and is still a good impact substitute even though he may not be as effective as a starter. The French will be favourites to win the Euros for the first time since 2000.
