Chelsea have announced the signing of striker Olivier Giroud from Premier League rivals Arsenal for a reported £18-million, ending the club’s long hunt for a new centre-forward.

Antonio Conte’s desire to add another attacking option to his squad led to Chelsea being linked with a host of unlikely players, including Andy Carroll, Ashley Barnes and Peter Crouch, while an attempted deal for Roma’s Edin Dzeko failed.

But with Giroud struggling for game-time at Arsenal and with the World Cup approaching, the Premier League champions swooped to secure the 31-year-old on an 18-month contract.
Giroud, who hit 73 Premier League goals at Arsenal in his five and a half years at the club following a 2012 move from Montpellier, has started one league game this season.

The France striker was increasingly marginalised at Emirates Stadium following the arrival of his compatriot Alexandre Lacazette, who joined from Lyon, and his chances of making the starting XI receded further with Wednesday’s club record signing of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund.