MLS: Olivier Giroud the game-changer anyone would want

Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud may be on his way to MLS in the upcoming transfer windows. He is a game-changing DP that anyone would want, but where could he land?

With the Premier League season in full swing, the season has unfolded a bit different than Olivier Giroud would have thought at Chelsea. The striker has not seen the regular playing time he saw last season at Stamford Bridge and may not be a factor when all is said and done in the 2019-20 season.

Young star Tammy Abraham has taken control of the striker position for the time being and Michy Batshuayi has emerged in fine form thus far. As a result, Giroud has dropped down the depth chart. It appears this what is motivating a possible move to Major League Soccer in the near future.

Reported on Tuesday, Giroud looks to already have an idea of where he would like to go — and not want to go. All of the usual destinations for star players are included as Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and Chicago have surfaced as cities he would like to relocate to.

The Vancouver Whitecaps attempted to make an early move for the 33-year-old goalscorer but that move has since been declined according to reports.

There’s a good chance Giroud will end up at a club in his desired cities in MLS. Both Los Angeles clubs will likely have openings for a Designated Player spot at the end of the season. The Los Angeles Galaxy may lose Zlatan Ibrahimovic as his contract will be up and Giroud would be an obvious replacement for the Swedish striker. At Los Angeles FC, the club may lose Diego Rossi to a European club and they have already shown interest in bringing in a striker as they already went after Mario Mandzukic, who is very capable to Giroud in style and calibre.

Inter Miami are still in its development phase as a club and they could find a place for Giroud in their starting XI. He would certainly find plenty of playing time with Inter Miami and would likely be the club’s best player in its inaugural season.

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New York City FC have risen up the MLS ranks this season and a strong showing in the playoffs could sway Giroud into a move to the Big Apple. The addition of Giroud could make them a dangerous club in 2020 if they can get the star striker. For the New York Red Bulls, a move for Giroud would mean the end of Bradley Wright-Phillips, which doesn’t seem like it would happen at the moment. Out of the two New York clubs, NYCFC is the more likely destination. Jesus Medina may be the current NYCFC DP who could make way for Giroud.

The Chicago Fire, who need all the help they can get after a disappointing, playoff-less 2019 season could also be a possible landing spot. Giroud would undoubtedly boost their attack and give the supporters another reason to be excited ahead of the 2020 season. Bastian Schweinsteiger has retired which has opened the door for the next star player to make his way to the Windy City. Will that player be Giroud? It could very well be.

A wildcard club that could end up getting Giroud is the Montreal Impact. The Canadian club appear close to letting Ignacio Piatti end his time in Quebec which would open up a DP spot on their roster. With the club needing a striker they could very well go after Giroud if Piatti returns to play in Argentina.

Wherever Giroud does end up, this is a World Cup winner, a proven goalscorer in the Premier League, and a committed, high-character footballer. For MLS clubs looking to secure game-changing Designated Players, they could do a whole lot worse.