Chelsea signed France striker Olivier Giroud from London rivals Arsenal on Wednesday’s transfer deadline day, freeing up Michy Batshuayi to leave Stamford Bridge on loan to German side Borussia Dortmund.
Premier League champions Chelsea revealed on their website that Giroud had signed an 18-month contract, with the 31-year-old saying: “Chelsea is one of the biggest teams in the Premier League. They have won maybe the most trophies in the last six or seven years.
“It’s a massive club and I am proud to sign for Chelsea, and I’m looking forward to playing.”
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has been looking for a tall, physical striker as backup to summer signing Alvaro Morata, and the club were linked with shock moves for West Ham’s Andy Carroll and Stoke City’s Peter Crouch to that end. A less surprising attempt to sign Roma’s Edin Dzeko broke down, paving the way for the pursuit of Giroud.
The Frenchman scored 105 goals in 253 appearances for Arsenal, a record that belies some of the criticism that has been fired his way during his time with the Gunners. Since his arrival in 2012, only Manchester City‘s Sergio Aguero, Tottenham‘s Harry Kane, and Manchester United‘s Romelu Lukaku have scored more Premier League goals than Giroud.
