With Diego Costa having agreed to terminate his contract at Atletico Madrid, the Spanish club will look to bring Olivier Giroud to the Wanda Metropolitano.
According to Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo, La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid are interested in signing French veteran Olivier Giroud from Chelsea as a replacement for Diego Costa.
Giroud, who began his career at Grenoble in 2008, has gone on to become a key figure in world football. Having made his name at Montpellier, Giroud earned a lucrative move to Arsenal in 2012 and played at the club for nearly six years, scoring 73 goals in 180 matches. He won three FA Cups under Arsene Wenger and became best known for his impact off the bench.
In January 2018, Giroud earned an €18 million move to another London club, Chelsea, where he added a European trophy to his list of achievements – winning the Europa League under Maurizio Sarri. Giroud has made important contributions at Chelsea under Frank Lampard, being a key figure for the Blues towards the end of the 2019/20 season.
Giroud has endured regular slip-ups in the pecking order at Chelsea with the likes of Timo Werner and Tammy Abraham seeming to be above the Frenchman. However, the Frenchman has often found his way back into the team with his inspiring professionalism and thereby gained a lot of praise from his manager.
Given that Diego Costa has terminated his contract at Atletico Madrid, Simeone could be in the market to sign a strong target man in the January transfer window and there are very few options in the market that would offer more than Giroud in that capacity.
With Alvaro Morata having also departed in the summer, Atletico are rather light in attack with Joao Felix and Luis Suarez the only traditional forwards in their ranks. With Suarez ageing and unable to play consistently throughout the season, Giroud could be an interesting addition to Atletico Madrid as he would combine well with Felix.
Giroud has proven to be a very effective presence in the opposition box, often scoring from unlikely scenarios. His strength and aerial ability will prove to be a perfect fit in Simeone’s direct style of play. Furthermore, Felix, who is known for his trickery and pace, can benefit from playing off a target man like Giroud.
With Giroud’s future at Chelsea unclear, Atletico Madrid couldn’t have asked for a better time to woo the Frenchman, as his contract expires at the end of the season. However, the Blues could do with his experience at Cobham as they look to regain their form and get their season back on track.
Chelsea could be in a pickle if they were to let go of the World Cup winner in January, as the Frenchman has already made valuable contributions despite his limited minutes. It will be interesting to see if Atletico Madrid do make an approach for Giroud in the coming weeks.
