Surprising Interest-
In a shock report published by a news outlet, Chelsea are now looking to sign Arsenal forward Olivier Giroud to bolster their attacking prowess. Antonio Conte’s side have struggled with their recent transfers in the summer and are now wanting to poach one of their local rivals’ striker. The Blues are currently struggling to score goals and are not the dominating force they were last season when they clinched the title. Much of that is because of Spanish forward Diego Costa, who is leaving the club following a spat with the manager.
Costa admitted publicly that he received a text message from Conte during the summer stating that he would not be included in his future plans at Chelsea. Costa was the top scorer and the key figure on the top of the pitch which helped them win the Premier League title last season. And although Alvaro Morata and Michy Batshuayi have done well in their limited time at the club, Chelsea are still lacking that cutting edge they had last term.
Following Alexandre Lacazette’s arrival at the Emirates for a club record fee from French club Lyon, his countryman Olivier Giroud has found himself restricted to appearances from the bench. There was also a lot of speculation regarding the French striker’s future before Lacazette joined Arsenal with West Ham keen on signing the big man.
But Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger decided to keep faith in Giroud and use him as a 2nd choice forward. But in recent times, Danny Welbeck has been kept in the team before Giroud, which could possibly suggest that it’s nearly the end of his stint at Arsenal for the former Tours man.
The 31 year old has not started a single Premier League game this season and may want to leave the club to receive more playing time elsewhere as a regular. Giroud has made 172 appearances for the Gunners and has scored 72 times for them since his arrival at the Emirates stadium in 2012.
A switch to Stamford Bridge could prove a good move for Giroud and Chelsea who are still looking to find a decent centre forward who is capable of holding up play. With Morata still in the process of adapting to the Premier League, Giroud has the experience and physicality to suit the Chelsea’s game-play.
However, it may be unlikely that Arsenal would be willing to sell Giroud do a direct local city rival, given the competition in the English League. Where do you think Giroud will head to once he leaves Arsenal?
The Crucial Weekend-
Both the Londoners have crucial games coming up this weekend, which could see the advantage shift a bit towards the English capital, after domination in the Premier League of the two Manchester giants. If the Gunners and the Blues can beat both Manchester City and Manchester United respectively, the title race will be more open and even Spurs will benefit from their wins.
However, there is no doubt that it will not be an easy task, as both the league leaders and the Red Devils are in great form and will not want to drop any points at the moment.
