Olivier Giroud: Chelsea striker will decide future in January and wants to stay at club
Olivier Giroud scored all four goals in Chelsea's victory over Sevilla in the Champions League; the Frenchman has previously admitted he came close to leaving the club in January; striker requires regular game time to make France Euros squad next summer
Friday 4 December 2020 09:24, UK
Olivier Giroud has reiterated his desire to stay at Chelsea but insists he will make any decision on his future in January.
The 34-year-old was close to leaving Stamford Bridge in January amid concerns his lack of game time could affect his international prospects with France.
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But fresh from scoring four goals in Chelsea's Champions League win over Sevilla, Giroud has revealed his preference would be to remain at the club ahead of the re-scheduled European Championships in 2021.
"I had a conversation with (Didier) Deschamps and he said if the situation stayed like that, I will have to take a decision in January," Giroud told the official Chelsea website.
"I am pretty sure I can get some more game time and stay at Chelsea because that is what I want. I want to win trophies with Chelsea so basically that's it.
"You never know in football, everything is going very fast, but right now I am very happy. I am a happy man and I am proud to be a Chelsea player."
Giroud's importance to Frank Lampard's side was self-evident during the latter stages of last season, where the Frenchman scored six Premier League goals after the restart in June to help Chelsea secure a top-four finish.
His return so far this term has been equally impressive, with 11 goals in 18 appearances for club and country.
Marcelo Bielsa on his relationship with Frank Lampard post-Spygate
Marcelo Bielsa was careful not to fan the flames before he renews his rivalry with Chelsea boss Frank Lampard at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, live on Sky Sports.
Lampard was highly critical of Bielsa during the "spygate" saga two seasons ago when the former England midfielder was in charge at Derby.
Bielsa sent a staff member to spy on a Derby training session, later admitting he had spied on every club he had faced, while the Rams beat Leeds in an acrimonious Championship play-off semi-final later that season.
When asked to describe his relationship with Lampard before Leeds play Chelsea for the first time in the Premier League since 2004, Bielsa said: "It's not bad. The relationship I have with him is similar to the ones I have with the rest of my colleagues."
The Football Association fined Leeds £200,000 for Bielsa's spying admission, which the Argentine later revealed he had paid out of his own pocket.
Pitch to Post Preview: Redknapp assesses Tottenham and Arsenal; Plus the return of fans, Chelsea's striker dilemma, and more!
This week on the Pitch to Post Preview Podcast, Jamie Redknapp joins Peter Smith and Adam Bate to look ahead to the north London derby and assess Tottenham and Arsenal's contrasting form.
Sky Sports News reporter Rob Dorsett also has the latest from Leicester and the future of Jonny Evans, while we discuss whether Olivier Giroud should be Chelsea's first-choice striker and Man Utd's tricky trip to West Ham.
Plus we hear from a Charlton supporter about the experience of returning to watch live football. Adam also makes his bold Pitch for what he thinks will happen in this weekend's Premier League action - and it's good news for the teams in the relegation zone…
Listen to the Sky Sports Pitch to Post Podcast on: Spotify | Apple | Castbox
