The Giroud rumours remind me of the Keita Balde deal last year. At first it was loan with €25m option. Then €5m loan fee + €25m option. Then fucking €6m loan fee + €35m option.
Likewise, with Giroud, the first figure I saw was €5m and now a few days later it's €7m. I'm amused by my own stinginess because that €2m difference seems to bother me more than I'd like to admit.
Whatever though, I'd still pay it. The cost of
not bringing in a striker in January will be far greater than the cost of securing Giroud or whoever.
there has to be an italian or serie a striker that is over 30 and wouldn't care to have a bench role?
This is what I'm thinking, though that might just be some leftover Football Manager-driven wishful thinking. Conte wasn't entirely wrong when he said we hadn't planned well going into the season. Seems like he really wanted a vice-M̶i̶l̶i̶t̶o̶ Lukaku. We'd have done well to pick up some shitter with physical attributes like Santander or even Simeone.
Who knows how financially viable they (and others) were before the season started, and also how willing they were to join as a backup. It's exponentially harder in January, because few players will want to jeopardize or give up their playing to come here and play a bench role. That's why we're left with Giroud, who is 33 years old and desperate to get
some playing time. He really seems
the candidate.