Transfer Centre

Olivier Giroud 'motivated' by Timo Werner arrival at Chelsea

By Barney Corkhill, Editor | 30 July 2020

Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud insists that he is 'motivated' rather than worried about the club bringing in Timo Werner from RB Leipzig.

Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud has insisted that he is motivated rather than worried about Timo Werner's arrival at the club.

The Frenchman spent most of the 2019-20 season behind Tammy Abraham in the pecking order at Stamford Bridge and almost left the club in January, only for Chelsea's attempts to bring in a replacement to break down.

However, he has since worked his way into Frank Lampard's plans, scoring eight goals in their last 12 league games of the campaign and earning a one-year contract extension in the process.

Werner's arrival will provide further competition for places in the team, but Giroud believes that he still offers something different to Chelsea's other options.

"I'll be clear, this arrival is an additional motivation, and it was inevitable that the club recruit a striker. Chelsea are a big club, spending money to strengthen the squad, and I was expecting someone to come," Giroud told L'Equipe.

"With [Hakim] Ziyech and Werner Chelsea will try to be more competitive. Well, then, if you had told me that it was a player of my profile who was going to arrive, I would have been worried. That is not the case.

"Afterwards as the teams play together against us, it is not bad to have a big, a fulcrum that can make the link. But I am not naive - Werner did not arrive to sit on the bench.

"But I will do everything to ensure that Lampard finds himself in a complex situation when he has to make his choice."

Chelsea face Giroud's former club Arsenal in the final of the FA Cup on Saturday, with the 33-year-old looking to win the trophy for a fifth time.