Chelsea forward Olivier Giroud has refused to rule out the possibility of extending his contract at Stamford Bridge.
The World Cup winner was signed in January by Antonio Conte, yet since the manager was replaced by Maurizio Sarri in the summer, he has become more peripheral to things at Stamford Bridge.
Indeed, he has played only 40 minutes of football so far this term and did not feature at all in Saturday’s 2-0 win at Bournemouth.
“I still have one year of contract, plus possibly another year,” he told Canal+’s ‘Telefoot’ programme. “The board of the club have been positive in terms of giving me it. I do not know yet, we’ll see how things are in April or May, but I won’t exclude any possibility. We'll see.”
Meanwhile, he has dismissed the suggestion that Sarri and Conte’s styles differ greatly.
“It’s similar to what we had with Conte,” he said. “We do a lot of tactical work, he’s very rigorous and precise in his vision of football.
“I came back late, and for sure it’ll take me a bit of time to be prepared. That’s just my case. I’ve got a little gas. I’ve tried to bring more to the team, and in the last couple of matches I’ve been decisive.
“Last year, I won my place. There’s no reason that can’t be the case this year. The most important thing is to be decisive when I’m given my chance, and I hope to have more game time after the international break.”
Goal
Giroud is revelling in his status as a World Cup winner has brought him on the training ground.
“With N’Golo Kante, we’re called the ‘World Cup Winners’ at the club,” he said. “There were many great memories this summer, many great moments. It was an exceptional time.
“It’s a great pride. To win a World Cup, it’s the most beautiful thing, but football is forever restarting. We must continue, go forward and be ambitious for what is to follow.”
Giroud has played 20 times for the Blues and has scored five times, setting up a further three goals.