Maurizio Sarri: Olivier Giroud will not leave Chelsea this summer

Sam Wallace, Chief Football Writer 19 April 2019 • 5:28pm

Olivier Giroud - Olivier Giroud had expressed his frustration at being understudy — Olivier Giroud had expressed his frustration at being understudy Credit: Getty Images

Maurizio Sarri has indicated that Olivier Giroud will not leave Chelsea this summer, whatever misgivings the France World Cup winner might have at not playing enough this season, and that the choice could be taken out of the player’s hands.

Sarri said after the Europa League quarter-final triumph over Slavia Prague, in which Giroud scored, that the club had an option to extend his contract by another year which they fully anticipated to take up. Giroud, who is the Europa League top scorer with 11 goals in ten games, had said before the second leg against Slavia that he was of a mind to leave in the summer to seek out greater playing opportunities elsewhere.

Speaking after the 4-3 win at Stamford Bridge, Sarri said: “He [Giroud] is sure [to stay] because the club has an option for another year, another season. I spoke to the club two days ago and we agreed to exercise the option. So, he will remain.”

Giroud is now behind Gonzalo Higuain in the pecking order having previously been the understudy to Alvaro Morata and said before the Slavia match that he wanted to be assured of “a more important role” or leave. With Chelsea still facing a two-window Fifa transfer ban the club are having to think very carefully as to whether any of their first team squad players will be permitted to leave this summer.

The midfielder N’Golo Kante says that Chelsea are not the favourites to win the Europa League, even if the bookmakers say otherwise. The club will play Eintracht Frankfurt, who have not advanced to a semi-final of a European competition since their Uefa Cup winning run in 1979-1980. The first leg in Germany is on May 2. Before then Chelsea face Burnley on Monday and Manchester United a week on Monday.

Kante said: “We're not favourites; we played a good match and we will do all we can to get to the final. But we're not favourites. It was important for us to win this game. I think it's important to be in the semi-finals, it was our target.” He added: "We can make the season beautiful by winning the Europa League. That's the only title we can win now, so it would be great to win the Europa League.”