The Northern Echo claim Steve Bruce is urging Newcastle to pursue a loan deal for Chelsea’s Olivier Giroud – with the Frenchman’s proposed loan move to Inter Milan ‘in danger of collapse’.
The Frenchman was closing in on a move to Inter Milan, but Sky Sports claim that move is in serious danger of collapsing.
As a result, it seems Bruce wants Newcastle to reignite their interest, with the Echo’s Chief Football Writer Paul Fraser revealing how Bruce would “love” to bring the 6ft 4′ striker to Tyneside on loan.
Here’s a snippet from the Northern Echo’s latest piece, revealing that the NUFC boss has asked the club to ‘keep an eye’ on the striker:
STEVE BRUCE does not want talk of a Saudi takeover to distract from Newcastle United’s ambitions to make more signings before the transfer window closes on Friday night.
The Magpies head coach is pushing for a new full-back and striker before the deadline and is trying his best to carry on as normal despite the claims that Mike Ashley is close to selling.
Newcastle have already secured the services of Nabil Bentaleb and Valentino Lazaro on loan from Schalke and Inter Milan respectively, but he knows that at the very least he could do with a different striker and wide defender.
Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud is someone Bruce would love to welcome to Tyneside and he wants Newcastle to keep a close eye on a proposed move to Inter which has been in danger of collapse given the length of time it has taken.
Giroud, in a deal that would be a Premier League loan, would provide the extra bit of quality and experience to challenge and compete with Joelinton to lead the line, with Andy Carroll and Dwight Gayle being troubled with injuries.
Giroud was confirmed as a loan target earlier this month and immediately seemed like the sort of players we’re crying out for – even if a move for him seemed ambitious and unlikely.
He is an experienced striker – a World Cup winner for a start – who also has a record of scoring goals consistently in the Premier League.
His playing style also suits the system Bruce has been using since he came to the club, with a target man in either Joelinton or Andy Carroll being his preferred choice.
Whether Giroud would fancy a move to the North East over Milan is another thing, but one thing we could guarantee is playing time.
With the Euros coming up and Romelu Lukaku having cemented himself as Inter Milan’s first-choice striker, a 6-month spell as our main centre-forward could see him make a dramatic return to the French side.
Spurs have been credited with interest since Sky Italy suggested his move to Inter may be ‘off’, but it’s reported Chelsea would be unwilling to sell to their London rivals.
Another Kennedy looking for a pay/play day….need to concentrate and improve what we already have…Gayle needs another chance to play with Almeron and St Maximin…IMHO
BillyTheFish(Quote)
Billy – I agree. An ageing Giroud is a risk and his scoring record hasn’t been all that good in recent years.
If our forwards are still injured I’d just as soon take a risk on Sorensen or Allen moving up. At least they are young, hungry and would have something to prove to Bruce.
We probably only need another 10-12 points this season. I’d rather keep the money we’d spend on Giroud, make do with what we have just now and use that money towards a better forward in the summer.
Sharpy17(Quote)