Chelsea can finally replace Olivier Giroud if they beat Man United in £60m race
Ever since BlueCo arrived at Chelsea, a target man has not been a consideration. Olivier Giroud left the club a year before BlueCo arrived, while Romelu Lukaku was thrown on the scrap heap.
Giroud left Chelsea after having a hand in 53 goals in 119 games during a three and a half year stint in West London. He recently laughed off returning to Chelsea while doing punditry at the World Cup.
Meanwhile, Lukaku returned to Chelsea in the same summer Giroud left. But by the time BlueCo were in place, Lukaku was sent on loan to Inter Milan, then Roma, and then sold to Napoli under Antonio Conte.
There has never been space for a target man while Chelsea have been under the spell of BlueCo. But in the summer, that changed slightly with Behdad Eghbali calling the shots, and Danny Welbeck arrived.
Chelsea now looking to sign Freiburg striker Igor Matanovic
At Leverkusen, Alonso had Patrik Schick up top. While the big Czechia striker had talented technicians around him, he gave the German side a focal point during the unbeaten 2023-24 Bundesliga title win.
Alonso is lacking that at Chelsea. Welbeck is solid in the air, but he’s hardly a target man, and that is an area Alonso wants to change, if the latest reports are true. TeamTalk say Chelsea want Igor Matanovic.
Chelsea needed this break BADLY… but with so many players racking up minutes for their countries, did it actually help them or could it have made things worse? 🤔
Let us know your reasoning! 👇
The 23-year-old striker, standing at a lofty 6ft 5in, has scored 21 goals in 57 games since joining Freiburg in 2025. This season, he has scored six goals in seven games for the German side, and scored for Croatia.
According to the report, Chelsea would have to pay a whopping £60m for his signature, but they are not alone in looking to lure him to English football. Man United, Villa, Coventry, Fulham, and Arsenal are keen.
The similarities between Matanovic and Giroud’s Chelsea spell
Slightly taller than Giroud, Matanovic’s Bundesliga stats – he scored 16 goals and laid on four assists in 50 appearances during 2025-26 – are incredibly similar to Giroud’s entire Chelsea spell, per 90 minutes.
| Stat | Igor Matanović (Bundesliga) | Olivier Giroud (Chelsea Career) |
| Physical Frame | 1.94 m / 93 kg | 1.93 m / 91 kg |
| Non-Penalty Goals / 90 | 0.57 | 0.48 |
| Non-Penalty xG / 90 | 0.53 | 0.51 |
| Aerial Duels Won % | 60.2% | 62.5% |
| Pass Completion % | 62.8% | 65.2% |
| Key Passes / 90 | 1.27 | 1.15 |
| Shot Volume / 90 | 2.94 | 3.08 |
| Minutes per goal | 149.0 | 146.2 |
| Minutes per assist | 521.3 | 407.1 |
Similar in stature, the duo enjoyed incredibly parallel levels of aerial duels won, pass completion, key passes, and shot volume. Even their XG was similar, as were their goals-per-minute ratios at both clubs.
Matanovic won’t start for Chelsea, but he gives Alonso a proper plan-B striker that the Blues have lacked since Giroud made the surprise move across London from Arsenal to Chelsea. He is a smart signing.
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox
