Ray Parlour insists Chelsea should abandon their pursuit for Andy Carroll and instead look to sign Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud who he believes would be the ‘perfect’ solution to Antonio Conte’s striker problem.
The Italian boss is targeting a new forward to provide competition to Alvaro Morata, whose form has dropped off in recent weeks, while also allowing current second striker Michy Batshuayi to leave Stamford Bridge on loan.
Former Arsenal midfielder Parlour believes Conte should turn his attention to signing Giroud and while he thinks Arsene Wenger wouldn’t sell, he suspects the French attacker would be open to a move.
‘He would be perfect, Parlour told Sky Sports.
‘Whether Arsenal would want to lose another of their players to a rival is another matter.
‘But I am sure if Chelsea put a decent bid in he would be tempted because he hasn’t got to move, he can live in London, a bit like Petr Cech. He was settled in London and wanted to stay there.’
Another former Arsenal midfielder, Paul Merson, agreed with Parlour and thinks he’s a far superior option to Carroll and Peter Crouch, who has also been mentioned as a potential solution.
‘It’s staring Chelsea straight in the eye,’ Merson said. ‘They were looking at Carroll, now they are talking about Crouch – Giroud is the answer.
‘If they are looking for someone who is big and strong and can come on and change a game I don’t see anybody better. Giroud is very underrated.’
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