France international Olivier Giroud has said that he won’t be playing second fiddle to Tammy Abraham upfront at Chelsea. The 32-year-old has been with the Europa League holders for the past 18 months but he has not been able to cement his position as the number one striker.
It seemed that he could be handed with the first-choice role after the departures of Gonzalo Higuain and Alvaro Morata this summer but things have not changed with Abraham now regarded as the preferred choice under manager Frank Lampard. Abraham has indeed delivered with four goals from the opening four league games but Giroud is adamant that he won’t settle for the bench role behind the England international.
He told RMC Sport: “Obviously not! I have goals in my head. I’m here to help the new generation, but beware, the retirement time has not come. I’m still hungry and have a lot of ambition. I don’t want to be Chelsea’s No. 2 striker, for sure. Just because I’m here as an older brother for young people, it doesn’t mean I’m out on the sidelines.”
Abraham did not have the best of starts to the season and he was the subject of abuse from some Blues fans after the missed shoot-out penalty in the UEFA Super Cup defeat to Liverpool. However, he has since redeemed himself with braces against Norwich City and Sheffield United respectively and that should assure him with a starting role after the international break.
Meanwhile, Giroud has not managed the same tally as Abraham and he has scored the single goal in the UEFA Super Cup. He was an unused substitute during the recent league encounter against Sheffield United where Michy Batshuayi got the nod to feature off the bench. Chelsea return from the international break with an away game at Wolverhampton Wanderers.