Olivier Giroud has said he sympathises with Gary Cahill’s unhappiness at his lack of playing time for Chelsea this season, but that he hopes the defender does not seek a move away from Stamford Bridge in January.
“We have a lot of good players who can play in the starting XI,” Giroud said after Chelsea’s 0-0 draw at London Stadium. “The problem is we have four or five centre-backs and the coach made his choice.
“Gary is not in a good position because it is quite tough for him, he doesn’t play so much. I understand that he wants to play more. At one stage I was the same and I didn’t like that. As players, we are happy when we are on the pitch.”
Cahill is also in jeopardy of losing the Chelsea captaincy after Sarri said earlier this month that he has decided who should wear the armband, but wants to talk to his players and the club before announcing his choice publicly.
But despite knowing how Cahill feels, Giroud is adamant that the 32-year-old will remain an important figure at Chelsea this season regardless of whether or not he is a regular presence in the starting XI.
“I think his heart is still in Chelsea and hopefully we will keep him because we need him,” Giroud said. “He needs to be happy, that is the main thing, but I hope he stays because he is important for us.
“He is a very good player. He’s been at Chelsea for six years, he is one of the faces of Chelsea and one of our captains. We need him.”
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