Frank Lampard Talks Olivier Giroud's Minutes, Wants Him to Stay at Chelsea

Frank Lampard said that while Olivier Giroud is right to be unhappy with his lack of game time, the Chelsea boss wants him to remain at the club in January.

Giroud's contract is up next summer, but Lampard wants the striker to at least see out his deal at Stamford bridge.

Per Goal's Nizaar Kinsella, when asked about the possibility of Giroud leaving in January, Lampard said, "I want him here." The 41-year-old revealed he spoke to the striker before the international break:

"I love his professionalism. He was bang on when he spoke to me. He was bang on with his quotes when he was away with France.

"He shouldn't be happy and accept not playing. That's what good players do. As I said to Oli, he will get his games and be a big influence for us. At the moment, because of how Tammy [Abraham] is playing at the moment, there haven't been as many minutes.

"So, that will be something I will sit down happily with Oli in January but January is quite a long way away."

During the international break, Giroud told Le Pelerin (h/t The Sun's Anthony Chapman) that while he did not wish to criticise Lampard, he "cannot accept" the back-up role he's played this season.

The France international is also hoping to force his way back into the team before deciding his future in January, per Chelsea writer Simon Phillips:

Giroud made 45 appearances under Maurizio Sarri last season, but only 19 of them were starts, mostly in the UEFA Europa League. Despite his limited role, he contributed 13 goals and 10 assists.

Minutes have been even harder to come by for the former Arsenal striker under Lampard.

He's played just 17 minutes of football for Chelsea since August 24 and only 191 overall this season, spread across five appearances. In that time, he's scored once for the Blues against Liverpool in the UEFA Super Cup.

The 33-year-old has spent more minutes on the pitch for France this season, with whom he's scored three times in four games and continued to be an important figure:

Lampard has favoured Tammy Abraham as his first-choice striker this season, and the 22-year-old has not disappointed with nine goals in 12 games.

Given Abraham's form, it's understandable Giroud has not had too much of a look-in, but he'd have expected a few more runouts from the bench at least.

The centre-forward will have an eye on UEFA Euro 2020, which, given his age, could be his last international tournament for Les Bleus. Although he's an important player for manager Didier Deschamps, his selection will be harder to justify if he's barely playing for his club.

Giroud can be a useful asset to Chelsea, given his aerial prowess and impressive link-up play, but Lampard needs to start making the most of him. The Blues next play on Wednesday against Ajax in a Group H Champions League match at Stamford Bridge.