BEVERLY HILLS, June 04, (THEWILL) – The high stakes game of football transfers came into play on Friday when, in a surprise turn of events, Chelsea confirmed that French forward Olivier Giroud had signed a contract extension at Stamford Bridge just as a move to Italy appeared to be on the cards.
It changed the dynamics of the strong links that were reported earlier about interests from AC Milan in the striker, who had seen his playing minutes under the new management of Thomas Tuchel drastically reduced. When Milan began to explore the possibilities of bringing the decorated French player to San Siro Stadium, there was a positive response from Giroud’s side.
Decisive negotiations were fast paced even though Giroud still had some time left in his Chelsea contract, the striker was prepared to make a move especially as it seemed the London club did not have Giroud in their immediate plans. In fact, so definite was the news that Giroud was leaving that some reports concluded that he was already house-hunting in Italy.
That was because the negotiations were at an advanced stage with Milan reaching an agreement principle over a two-year deal at about €4m net per season with Giroud’s representatives in a contract that was fair to both sides.
But, on Friday, Chelsea doused all these speculations with a confirmation on their official that the Frenchman extended his contract until 2022, giving Giroud’s three-and-a-half-year deal an extra year extension in West London.
That confirmation effectively delinks the 34-year-old’s from any moves out of England and all the negotiations with Milan have come to naught, at least for another year. It means Giroud must see some future for his career continuing under Tuchel with some sort of agreement to get more play time under his belt in the season ahead.
Marina Granovskaia, Chelsea director, said of the contract extension: “Olivier has been such a crucial part of so many big moments for this club, from his contribution to our FA Cup victory in 2018 to scoring 11 goals on the way to winning the Europa League in 2019.
“He has continued to score significant goals, and we will never forget his effort against Atletico Madrid on the way to winning the Champions League this season. With so much to still to play for, there was only one decision we could make when we exercised the option to extend his contract back in April.”
Apart from Giroud’s contract and that of Tuchel, which Chelsea announced today, there was another one for defender Thiago Silva, whose contract was extended by one year, taking his time at Stamford Bridge into a second season.
In his first season, the Brazilian was an epitome of composure in the heart of the impregnable Chelsea backline with a classy influence that helped to nip threats in their bud. Having arrived on a free transfer from PSG, Silva featured 34 times in all competitions and scored twice in the very successful first campaign in the English Premier League.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
