An injury to Harry Kane mid-season has derailed the ambitions of Tottenham Hotspur this term. Suffering such a blow in his first season in charge of the club has been unfortunate for José Mourinho, and the Portuguese manager has had to work with makeshift options in the forward position. Although Son Heung-min has risen to the challenge and mostly performed for the side, the fact that Spurs need a backup for Kane cannot be overlooked.
With that in mind, according to Express, the North London club are now vying for the signature of Olivier Giroud, who is right now plying his trade for Chelsea. If he joins the ranks of Spurs, this would be the third London club for the Frenchman after having previously starred with Arsenal.
What would Giroud add at Spurs?
Harry Kane has been one of the most prolific strikers in English football for the last few years, and the England international has led the Spurs attack with panache. Having Kane in the squad meant that the manager did not need to look elsewhere for offensive contributions. However, an injury to the Tottenham forward has exposed the lack of a backup striker in the side, and that is where the need for another forward comes into focus.
Giroud, with all his deficiencies, comes with a bag of experience playing for some of the best Premier League sides. While he spent six seasons with Arsenal, scoring 73 league goals; at Chelsea, he has been with the team for more than two seasons. For the Blues, Giroud has so far played 49 Premier League matches and scored seven goals in the process. It should be remembered though that the FIFA World Cup winner has made a lot of his appearances from the bench for Chelsea, therefore limiting his game-time.
This season, he has been fielded nine times with 443 minutes of game-time, scoring twice. The biggest asset for the veteran striker is his aerial ability, being helped by his huge physical stature standing at 1.92 metres. Throughout his career, Giroud has been playing as a target-man for his sides, much in the mould of Kane. However, where the Englishman surpasses him is his superior finishing ability and precision.
What would be his role at Spurs?
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on the finances of every club. However, according to reports, Spurs are in disastrous shape. It should be anybody’s guess that the club would not be in a position to sanction the purchase of a top striker this term and therefore Giroud comes as a viable option.
The team plays in a fashion where Son is bestowed with creative responsibilities with Kane at the front, whose primary job is to find the spaces in the opposition defence and put the ball behind the back of the net. The ex-Arsenal man would be able to integrate himself in this setup perfectly when called upon to do so as he can hold his run and time it to perfection to receive the ball from the midfield before putting his name on the score-sheet. Giroud cannot be expected to be a long term option for Spurs, but in the present market scenario, he represents value for money and Tottenham would have an experienced man in their squad.
Stats from Whoscored.
