Giroud: Werner arrival doesn´t make me fear for Chelsea place

Olivier Giroud does not fear for his Chelsea place despite the arrival of Timo Werner.

The Blues have brought Germany international Werner into the fold after a 2019-20 campaign in which he scored 34 goals in all competitions for RB Leipzig, becoming the Bundesliga club’s all-time top scorer in the process.

However, Giroud does not see him as a direct threat to the central striker role that he made his own in the second half of the season, with Werner often playing off the left flank for club and country.

Giroud scored seven times in 12 games when the season resumed and, at 33, the former Arsenal forward is used to seeing big clubs make expensive acquisitions in his position.

“In every big club, there’s competition, and it always motivated me to fight for my spot,” he told reporters while on international duty with France.

Just the start… @TimoWerner pic.twitter.com/t0Jwma0snC

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 31, 2020

“Now, I’m not naive and I know that the club bought Werner to put him on the pitch. One thing’s for sure: we don’t have the same profile, he likes to go on the sides, he did it with his club and his national team.

“If it was a striker with a similar profile, I would have been more worried, but I think with the different games and the different teams we’ll play, the coach will choose different tactical systems and I really hope I’ll play, following what I did last year.”

Giroud’s Chelsea career appeared over at the start of 2020 and he has previously admitted he “did everything” to try to engineer a move away from the club.

He made only two starts in the Premier League before February, with boss Frank Lampard preferring Tammy Abraham for the role, but Chelsea decided to keep hold of Giroud.

The former Montpellier man admits his rapport with Lampard improved as a result of that experience.

“My relationship with the coach has changed, clearly,” Giroud added.

“When we were looking to find a solution for me leaving, I started to know him better. We had a few one-on-ones and I think he started to know me better as well, so it was positive.

“We trust each other, he clearly told me I would have a chance after the lockdown. So, I gave his confidence back on the pitch.

“He knows my values and my professionalism, he said it in the press.

“I have a good relationship with him, [but] it doesn’t mean he’ll start me every game. I have to perform during training to be in the starting line-up.”