'Liverpool Could Sign Olivier Giroud And Have Him Do The Roberto Firmino Role Next Season'

The "underrated" Olivier Giroud could step up for the 'Roberto Firmino role' should he sign for Liverpool next season, according to Tony Cascarino.

Giroud, 34, showed his worth to Thomas Tuchel on Tuesday night as he scored a sensational overhead kick for Chelsea against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.

The French striker's stunning strike has handed Chelsea an important advantage ahead of the second-leg round-of-16 clash next month.

Giroud, who was signed from Arsenal in 2018, will become a free agent in the summer as his current Chelsea deal is set to expire.

Liverpool fan Cascarino praised Giroud for his impact at Montpellier and Arsenal before calling him the "best in the world of the most underrated players."

The 58-year-old told talkSPORT: "I would say he is the best in the world of the most underrated players.

"There are a good few that are underrated and he's at the top of the list.

"I was lucky enough to see Olivier as a young man when he was at Montpellier when they won the [Ligue 1] title, and he played a big part in that before he joined Arsenal.

"You could always see there was something a little bit different because he's not a traditional centre-forward, yet he leads the line brilliantly.

"But he'll do things that a No 10 can do. That goal [against Atletico] is a No 10 goal, it's a Roberto Baggio type of goal. I've seen Giroud do that four or five times in his career."

Firmino, 29, has been widely criticised for his form this season as Liverpool's Premier League title defence has fallen flat.

The Brazilian forward has also been challenged for his place in the starting XI by Diogo Jota, who was signed from Wolves last September for a reported £41m fee.

When he was asked if he would sign Giroud on a free for Liverpool, Cascarino responded: "Absolutely. I think there are very few players that can do the Roberto Firmino role.

"Look, at 35 years old, he'd do a great job. I still think there is a year or two left in him.

"He doesn't rely on pace. He reminds me a little bit of Teddy Sheringham at times.

"I know Teddy played a slightly different role, but he's got that in him where he can play that No 10 or No 9 role."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Liverpool, Chelsea, Football, Roberto Firmino, Premier League, England, Olivier Giroud

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

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