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Chelsea Players Whose Contracts Expire Next Summer

Every year players come and go from football clubs. The following are players from the club whose contracts are due to expire at the end of the 2020/21 season as per Transfermarkt.

Olivier Giroud 

Giroud has made no secret of his desire to play for France at the rescheduled European Championships this summer. He arrived at the club in January 2018 as an emergency transfer when the Blues were struggling to find a consistent player to lead their line and amidst the struggles of Alvaro Morata at the time.

Giroud has done his bit for the Blues. With Timo Werner and Tammy Abraham in Frank Lampard’s squad, it is unlikely that he will be staying at the club beyond this summer, this time for real.

It remains to be seen whether Giroud also wants to play in the 2022 World Cup. If so, his next destination may be another club from Europe’s top five leagues.

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Willy Caballero

The Argentine joined the club during the summer of 2017 on a free transfer and his duty was to act as a cover option. The 39-year-old has done a professional job whenever called upon and has gone on to make 11 Premier League appearances in his time at Stamford Bridge so far.

Caballero may opt to continue his career elsewhere but his position will be better served going to a younger keeper who can challenge Edouard Mendy for the first-choice goalkeeping position.

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Thiago Silva

From all the players on this list, Silva is the most likely to remain at the club next season. After joining the Blues this summer, he agreed to sign a one year contract with the club, with a clause to possibly extend his stay at the Bridge by a further year.

Silva has so far been a hit in England. It will not be surprising if Lampard wants to keep him for a further year.

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Olivier Giroud’s Agent Lashes Out At Frank Lampard

Michael Manuello, the agent of Olivier Giroud has claimed that his client has been unfairly treated by Chelsea boss Frank Lampard.

The Frenchman is currently the third choice striker at Stamford Bridge- behind Tammy Abraham and Timo Werner who joined the club from RB Leipzig in the summer.

Giroud’s lack of regular game time could negatively affect his chances of gaining selection to the France team which will contest the rescheduled European Championships next year.

“With Olivier Giroud and without the signings, Chelsea were on 18 points from nine matches. These 18 points were gathered when Olivier started seven times. Chelsea scored 18 goals,” Manuello told Foot Mercato (H/T: The Standard). 

“Since the beginning of the season, Chelsea have played eight matches, scored 22 goals and taken 15 points. So if they win their next match, they will equal what Olivier did last year.

“It is not the same to play with (Hakim)  Ziyech, Havertz, Werner than playing without them. So we need to look at this relatively.

“But at the same time you’d be blind not to see that Frank Lampard has decided to put Tammy Abraham ahead of him. It is not frankly fair when you look at what Olivier did at the end of the season. But he has the right, it is his choice.”

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Giroud was in impressive form towards the end of last season

The veteran was in impressive form after the lockdown. He scored seven goals from 12 games after the COVID-19 lockdown and usurped Abraham in the club’s pecking order for some time. He ended last season as Lampard’s first-choice striker.

Giroud has little chance of regular game-time for the Blues

Lampard appears to be trying to build his side around young talent. Now 34-years-old and well past his prime, it looks unlikely that Giroud will be able to move up the pecking order again. Werner’s form has also been strong since his arrival at the club which makes it more unlikely.

Regardless of this, it is safe to say that Giroud’s contributions to the team since his arrival at the club in January 2018 has been positive. Nobody would have expected him to last almost three years with the club, especially as he arrived when he was already well over 30.

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Report: Chelsea Veteran Is Eyeing An Exit From The Club

Olivier Giroud is considering an exit from Chelsea, as reported by Football London.  Giroud was brought to Stamford Bridge in January 2018 to provide competition to Alvaro Morata who had been struggling for form at the time.

He was brought in as a short-term solution to the club’s problems upfront and very few would have given him much chance of staying with the club for nearly three years. However, Chelsea’s transfer ban combined with the veteran striker making the most of the opportunities given to him meant that they had to keep him.

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Giroud has turned out to be a valuable signing for the Blues

Even though he has not been a regular starter, Giroud has turned out to be a valuable signing for the Blues.  Since joining the club, he has gone on to play 94 times, scoring 29 goals and assisting a further 14.

Towards the end of last season, he even managed to usurp Tammy Abraham as the club’s first-choice striker when the youngster was struggling for form.

Whilst Giroud can still play at the highest level, he has become the Blues third-choice striker after Timo Werner joined the club from RB Leipzig ahead of this season. He has only been used sparingly this term.

Giroud is hoping to represent France at the European Championships next year and will have to start playing regularly if he wants to do that. The report added that Inter Milan is interested in signing the 2018 World Cup winner and added that the player is open to moving to Antonio Conte’s side.

Inter are starting to show signs of rediscovering their glory days since Conte took charge of the club at the beginning of last season. Giroud can also take inspiration from the success that former Manchester United stalwart Ashley Young is enjoying at Inter.

The 35-year-old joined Conte’s side in January and has proven to be a shrewd signing for the Serie A side.

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Chelsea’s Biggest Surprise Signing of the Modern Era

Surprising signings happen in the world of football. Odion Ighalo ended up joining Manchester United on loan during the January transfer window from Shanghai Greenland Shenhua which surprised many. Even though the Nigerian had decent success with Watford between 2014-2017, he was never really viewed as being a player who could play for an elite club.

The following are two players who joined Chelsea under surprising circumstances.

Mark Schwarzer

The Australian joined Chelsea during the summer of 2013 on a free transfer from Fulham when he was 40-years-old. Schwarzer at the time was past his peak. He had been one of the most respected keepers in the Premier League following lengthy spells with Middlesbrough and Fulham.

Schwarzer was brought to Stamford Bridge as cover for then Blues first-choice keeper Petr Cech. He played four times in the league during that season as Chelsea won the Premier League title. He deputised for Cech during a Champions League game against Steaua Bucuresti in December 2013 and in the process became the oldest player to debut in the Champions League at 41-years and 65 days.

Schwarzer was released from the Blues at the end of that season. Surprisingly though, he did not retire. He joined Leicester City on a one season deal and whilst he did not make a single competitive appearance for the Foxes, they went on to win the Premier League during that season.

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Olivier Giroud

Olivier Giroud joined Chelsea in January 2018 from Arsenal. The Frenchman was past his peak at the time but it was a win-win situation for both clubs. Chelsea at the time were short of quality up front with Alvaro Morata struggling to find the back of the net.

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Giroud was struggling to earn first-team minutes for the Gunners and needed to play as much as possible in order to win selection to the French team for the 2018 World Cup. In the end, the striker was included in the Les Bleus World Cup squad and he helped them to become World Champions in Russia.

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Gonzalo Higuain Opens Up on Mixed Chelsea Spell

Chelsea striker Gonzalo Higuain believes that his spell with Chelsea was not that bad. The Argentine joined the Blues in January 2019 on a short-term loan deal. He arrived at a time during which the Blues were struggling to get goals up front. Alvaro Morata had been struggling for form whilst Olivier Giroud was always relied upon as a back-up option and never really viewed as someone to lead the line for the club on a regular basis.

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France Manager Issues Ultimatum to Blues Striker

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.”

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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

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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.

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Giroud Refuses To Rule Out MLS Move

Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud has refused to rule out the possibility of moving to the Major Soccer League. The Frenchman joined the Blues from Arsenal during the January 2018 transfer window. He arrived at the club at a time during which Alvaro Morata was struggling for form and when the West London giants were clearly in need of additional firepower upfront.

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Two Players Who Could Be Entering Their Final Season for Chelsea

Chelsea will need experienced players to be at the forefront and guide the younger talent next season. Realistically, fans cannot expect the Blues to win major silverware next term, though they can expect the club to lay down the foundation for young stars to come through the ranks. The following are two players who are likely to be playing their final season at Stamford Bridge next term.

1. Olivier Giroud

Had the transfer ban not been in place, it is likely that the Blues would have not triggered the option to keep Giroud for a further season. As thing stand, it is uncertain whether Gonzalo Higuain will remain at the club beyond this summer. This could mean that Giroud could end up being the only experienced specialist striker in the team. The Frenchman did not get regular game time in the Premier League during the past season but was an important part of the Europa League triumph as he scored 11 goals from 14 appearances in Europe’s second-tier club competition. Giroud may be past his prime but he will have an important role to play for the West Londoners next season.

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2. David Luiz

Luiz was a key part of the Blues defence this past season. He, along with Antonio Rudiger, was used as first-choice centre-back throughout the season. Luiz signed a new two-year contract with the Blues in May. At 32 years old, he still has a lot left in him and may have to play a big role for the club next season on and off the field. If however, his body ends up giving up on him or he ends up being overlooked in favour of a younger centre-back, next season could end up being his final one with the Blues. It remains to be seen if Andreas Christensen will be favoured over Luiz next season.

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