Palace and Giroud – a perfect fit?

Sometimes in life, things seem too easy. Crystal Palace need a striker and there is one across London who needs football. Olivier Giroud is that man and despite his exploits, namely playing a vital role in France’s 2018 World Cup success, the 33-year-old remains under-appreciated at Chelsea.
With Euro 2020 on the horizon, the time has come for him to make a decision on his future and a January switch to the Eagles could see him soar again.
Giroud has been here before. At this point in the 2017-18 season he found himself unable to get regular minutes at Arsenal following the signing of Alexandre Lacazette and with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joining the Gunners, headed to Stamford Bridge in January 2018.
That move gave him the boost required and, despite failing to score in Russia, he was vital for Les Bleus.
Even so, he struggled for minutes back in England and even being the tournament’s top scorer as Chelsea won last term’s Europa League was not enough to guarantee him a starting spot with academy product Tammy Abraham the latest man to stand in his way.
A recent interview in his homeland allowed the former Montpellier-man to vent, admitting he was not happy. France boss Didier Deschamps echoed this opinion and Frank Lampard said the pair have spoken about the situation.
With Abraham firing, chances are likely to be few and far between at Stamford Bridge but just over nine miles south, Crystal Palace are desperate for a frontman.
Their quest for a striker could have been ended if they had managed to make Michy Batshuayi’s loan permanent but he returned to Chelsea to provide another obstacle for the Frenchman. Funnily enough, it was Batshuayi’s loan to Borussia Dortmund, that facilitated Aubameyang’s move to Arsenal and allowed Giroud to leave for Chelsea.
While interest remains, they instead made Jordan Ayew’s loan from Swansea permanent despite netting just once last season. To be fair to the Ghanian, he has been far more proficient this time around with three goals, including winners against former club Aston Villa and West Ham.
Ayew cannot be relied upon though, having never managed more than 14 for club and country in a season – that tally coming in France with Lorient.
Connor Wickham is 26 but injuries, unfortunately, mean he could struggle to live up to his early hype. Then there is the curious case of Christian Benteke, signed for £27million in August 2016 but the Belgian still seems to be suffering from the scars of his failed £32m move to Liverpool in 2015.
Plenty of money has been spent on Benteke but despite Roy Hodgson’s backing, the 28-year-old is a far cry from the whirlwind force that took the Premier League by storm at Aston Villa, notching 42 goals in 82 league games.
He did hit double figures in the 2016-17 campaign but since then, he has managed the grand total of five for club and country.
After being tipped for relegation, Palace sit sixth in the table but whether they can sustain that start to the season will depend on their ability to score.
Signing Giroud in January could be the answer. He has managed 15 goals or more for club and country in the seven years he has been in England, with 2015-16 producing a personal best of 34.
Not just that, as Russia 2018 showed, his build-up play is superb and while Wilfried Zaha, Luka Milivojevic and Andros Townsend may not be in the same class as Antoine Griezmann, Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappe, they can still benefit from the quality of his assists.
Three of Giroud’s four goals this season have come for France. If he wants to extend that run for Les Bleus into Euro 2020, a switch to Selhurst may be the way to go.