Chelsea striker Oliver Giroud has made a shocking revelation about how things works with club manager, Mauricio Sarri. The French man revealed that he knows he will only play in the Europa League as Sarri prefers Argentine star Gonzalo Higuain for Premier League and FA Cup games.
Olivier Giroud is open to a return to France to get more playing time, saying: “I want to become important again.” The French World Cup winner, 32, has been confined to a back-up role at Stamford Bridge this season.
The former Arsenal man, who joined Chelsea in January 2018, is behind Eden Hazard and Gonzalo Higuain in the striking pecking order and has seen the emergence of young England starlet Callum Hudson-Odoi affect his chances as well.
Giroud has admitted he is frustrated at his lack of Premier League playing time at Chelsea this season. The French forward has primarily been used as a substitute in domestic football this season, with the majority of his action coming in the Europa League.
Giroud has hinted that his summer could be ‘lively’ and that he would be interested in a move back to France if it meant he got regular game time. Speaking on RTL, Giroud said: ‘Of course it is frustrating. I feel like there is no competition since January.”
‘It is like that, I know that I will only play in the Europa League and I will try to do everything I can to be as effective and decisive as possible for the team.’
‘The future could be lively this summer. I am not scared of going down a level to have more playing time. It could be that I end my career in France.’
Giroud is the top scorer in the Europa League this season, with nine goals in as many matches for Chelsea. However he has netted only once in 21 Premier League appearances, and has played 685 minutes of league action in total. In contrast,The Frenchman has played 669 minutes in nine Europa League matches.
This means he averages just 32.6 minutes on the pitch in his Premier League appearances – compared to 74.3 in the Europa League. Giroud has outscored Higuain since the Argentine arrived at Stamford Bridge.
Giroud made his name in Ligue 1 by winning a shock league title with Montpellier, before moving to English football with Arsenal in 2012. He joined Chelsea in January 2018.