When Chelsea signed Olivier Giroud from Arsenal in January 2018, he was very much considered a backup man. 

However, since his switch from red to blue in London, of all of the striking options on the books at Stamford Bridge, Giroud has been the most effective.

The Frenchman is currently in Russia on national team duties at the World Cup, but his status in the Chelsea team he’ll return to is far from clear. 

The Breakdown

5 goals in 18 appearances, in all competitions, since his switch to Chelsea is a decent return when it’s considered that almost all of those appearances came as a substitute. 

Alvaro Morata scored more goals than the Frenchman over the course of the season, but he also played far more minutes, missed a few very presentable chances and completely lost his confidence in the second half of the campaign.

Beyond goalscoring exploits, Giroud’s link and hold up play is also superior to Morata’s. The 31-year-old is an unselfish striker, willing to drop deep to provide flick ons and knock downs for his fellow attackers to latch onto. Towards the end of last season, exciting signs of a burgeoning partnership between Hazard and Giroud began to emerge.

What the ex-Arsenal man lacks in pace he makes up for with his smart positioning and aerial prowess, meaning he has all the attributes to keep this Blues side firing whilst Morata works his way back into form. 

Even if the Spaniard is sold on this summer, no matter who comes into replace him, Giroud deserves the chance to prove his worth again and begin the new season leading the line for the Blues.