MLS
France coach confirms Giroud MLS move: what did Deschamps say?
AC Milan striker Olivier Giroud is expected to join MLS franchise Los Angeles FC this summer - and France boss Didier Deschamps has discussed the move.
France head coach Didier Deschamps has dropped a very heavy hint that Olivier Giroud will indeed be joining Major League Soccer franchise Los Angeles FC.
Giroud tipped for end-of-season MLS transfer
Late last month, RMC Sports and Fabrizio Romano reported that Giroud is to sign for LAFC on a free transfer from AC Milan this summer, the veteran penning an 18-month contract with the Black and Gold.
Should the former Arsenal and Chelsea striker sign for the 2022 MLS Cup winners, he would team up with his friend and former France team-mate Hugo Lloris, with whom he lifted the 2018 World Cup.
Lloris, who retired from international duty with Les Bleus in 2022, signed for LAFC in December. The former Tottenham goalkeeper has been the Californians’ first-choice custodian in the 2024 MLS season, starting all 10 league games so far for a team that sits fifth in the Western Conference.
What did Deschamps say about Giroud to LAFC?
While Giroud’s move to Los Angeles is yet to be confirmed by any of the parties involved, Deschamps this week offered up an indication that the switch is on the cards when he openly discussed the 37-year-old’s anticipated future as an LAFC player.
“Olivier has made a sporting and personal choice,” Deschamps told an interview with the news agency AFP. “Despite his age and experience, he still has that fire inside of him. Above and beyond the chance to reunite with Hugo Lloris and his family, this could be a good opportunity for him.”
“Doesn’t change my short-term plans”
Deschamps also stressed that Giroud’s expected MLS move won’t affect his chances of France selection for this summer’s European Championship, given that he will remain a Milan player until his contract expires on 30 June.
“He wants to continue his career, but at a standard slightly lower than in Europe,” Deschamps said. “But that doesn’t change my short-term plans, as he’ll still be at AC Milan until the end of the season.”
Euro 2024, in which two-time European champions France have been drawn in Group D with Austria, the Netherlands and Poland, is due to be played from 14 June to 14 July.
According to reports, Giroud is expected to become an LAFC player from 1 August.
Giroud’s stats as an AC Milan player
In 43 appearances this season, the forward has scored 15 goals and supplied nine assists for Milan, who sit second in Serie A, 19 points behind newly-crowned champions Inter. Since moving to the San Siro from Chelsea in 2021, Giroud has registered a total of 47 goals and 20 assists in 128 games for the Rossoneri.