Former Chelsea assistant manager Angelo Alessio believes Olivier Giroud is an excellent signing for Milan. ‘It’s the perfect environment for him.’
The deal is done for €1m plus up to €1m in performance-related bonuses, with the France international expected to undergo a medical on Monday before signing the two-year contract.
“Despite being 34 years old, he still makes the difference and is a real bargain at those prices, especially as he just won the Champions League,” Antonio Conte’s former Chelsea assistant manager Alessio told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“It’s the perfect environment for Olivier, the Champions League is his home, and a player like that can help the younger and more inexperienced ones to grow.
“Conte absolutely adored Giroud. We needed a strong centre-forward in January 2018 and he had hurt us several times at Arsenal. Antonio told the club that with Giroud in the side, we’d have taken a big step up. He was right, as Giroud scored crucial goals, including the one to win the FA Cup.”
The France international is coming in as an alternative to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who is recovering from surgery, but Alessio doesn’t see this being a problem.
“Olivier is a humble guy, professional, he never complains even when he’s on the bench. As a striker, he scores goals, but also helps others to get goals too. He draws defenders to him, opening up spaces for the midfielders. Eden Hazard, Pedro and Willian benefited a great deal from Giroud’s movement at Chelsea.
“I don’t see him playing with Ibrahimovic, so he’s an extra starter for Milan, someone who has already won the Champions League. Stefano Pioli is very lucky to have him.”
Giroud scored 11 goals in 31 competitive games for Chelsea last season, including six in just eight Champions League matches, bagging four in the 4-0 win over Sevilla.