David Ornstein of The Athletic claims that Tottenham Hotspur’s only hope of a striker signing lays with Chelsea’s Olivier Giroud.
What’s he said?
Spurs were confident of signing Krzysztof Piatek from AC Milan earlier this week but he is now poised to move to Hertha Berlin instead.
And Ornstein has now reported, in an Athletic Q&A, that the France international is now the only legitimate option for Spurs.
However, if Chelsea are to sell him, they first need to source a replacement.
He said (11:00am, January 30th): “Further to Charlie Eccleshare’s post and related to Simon Johnson’s, my understanding is that Tottenham’s desire to sign a striker before the window closes is now unlikely to materialise – unless they can secure a deal for Olivier Giroud.
“And with that, there is a problem because I’m told that, despite mixed messages on this in recent weeks, Chelsea will not let Giroud go without securing a replacement. If the Blues do get somebody in, things could get tasty because it is suggested to me that they would not block Giroud from joining Spurs.
“Giroud would seriously consider all options – including Tottenham – provided he gets the move he has been craving for the past few months, since it has become clear that he is not part of manager Frank Lampard’s plans at Stamford Bridge.”
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A dangerous game
Spurs are poking a hornet’s nest here.
One source familiar with Spurs’ recruitment has told Football FanCast that any move for the 33-year-old is “fraught with danger”.
Indeed, Chelsea could well string Spurs along until the last minute of the window only to end negotiations and leave their London rivals empty-handed.
If they are not able to secure a deal for the former Arsenal forward then one has to think that they face a major battle to qualify for the Champions League this season.
As it stands, they do not have a fit senior striker, with Harry Kane out injured.
All of their eggs are clearly in one very particular basket.
Meanwhile, one man is key to Spurs’ clash with Manchester City!