West Ham United are monitoring the situation of Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud, as reported by The Express.

Internazionale are attempting to persuade the Blues to sell him to them for a fee of £6m, but if an agreement is not reached, the Hammers could be set to capitalise on that by making a move for the 33-year-old.

It can be suggested that the Hammers need another striker during the January transfer window, as Albian Ajeti still hasn't recorded a single goal in nine matches for the club.

In addition, they have Michail Antonio who has had struggles with injuries and was unavailable for the club's last two Premier League games.

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However, there can also be an argument made that Giroud is not the type of player that is needed, for more reasons than the fact that he has only made two starts and three substitute appearances in the Premier League this season.

The glaring issue with this is that the Frenchman's style of play is largely quite similar to that of his countryman Sebastien Haller, meaning there would be little variation in David Moyes' options. That is seen by the statistics below.

Giroud's stats from last season's Europa League campaign were used for this, plainly due to the fact that it was the last competition he was regularly playing in. Therefore, it provides a better indication of how his game stacks up against Haller's prior to this weekend's action.

Despite the Chelsea man making double the number of key passes that Haller makes per match, his main competition should he arrive in the east-end has shown that he's the more effective target man.

Giroud has established himself as a fine hold-up player throughout his career, being utilised as France's main man in attack when they won the World Cup in 2018. However, the way he brings others into play and latches onto high balls using his strength is too similar to Haller who, according to stats, is actually supreme in aerial battles.

This is something West Ham don't need more of. In fact, the Hammers need someone who offers a different variable and plan for Moyes.

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Haller wins 4.7 more aerial duels per game than the former Arsenal man but he also shows an ability to drive forward with the ball by making 0.5 more dribbles. Neither of them, however, are that comfortable when in possession, meaning a move for Giroud would be rather pointless.

If the east London outfit are going to add another striker to their collection this month, landing someone who is easily comparable with Haller would be foolish. The Irons would show a huge lack of logic by moving for another target man.

Meanwhile, West Ham fans were severely underwhelmed by the club's announcement.