Olivier Giroud Reveals Why He Left Arsenal For Chelsea

Olivier Giroud has revealed that he left Arsenal for Chelsea in January 2018 to secure his place in France’s squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

The French striker scored 105 goals in 253 appearances for Arsenal after joining the club under former manager Arsène Wenger. He moved to Stamford Bridge midway through the 2017/18 season in search of regular playing time.

Giroud is set to return to north London this week when Lille face Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League, giving the striker an opportunity to revisit his time at the Emirates Stadium.

Reflecting on his development under Wenger, Giroud praised the manager’s training methods and attacking philosophy, which helped him improve his technical ability and link-up play.

“When I arrive at Arsenal, I improve a lot on my game thanks to the daily basics we were doing in training,” he said, as quoted by the Mirror.

“Working on your technique, your one-touch finishing but also to link up the play, to deflect the play, to play one-touch for your teammates and finish quick in the box.”

Giroud explained that the training sessions helped him become an effective target man and develop a strong understanding with his team-mates.

He also identified similarities between Wenger’s Arsenal and Mikel Arteta’s current side, particularly their approach to attacking in the final third.

The Frenchman noted that teams now defend deeper, making it harder to create scoring opportunities, but praised Arsenal’s ability to inject pace into their attacking play.

Giroud admitted that leaving Arsenal was an emotional decision but said he needed to make the move to improve his chances of representing France at the 2018 World Cup.

“It was part of my career and my time. I had to leave the club in order to play the 2018 World Cup and we know the end of the story,” he said.

“I was really sad to leave the club but I had to make that choice and that was a tough one in my career but it was necessary and important for the rest of my career.”

His decision proved successful as France won the tournament in Russia, with Giroud featuring throughout their campaign.

Looking ahead to his return to north London, the striker expressed his delight at facing Arsenal again, this time with French club Lille.

“It’s great to come back at 40 years old with a French club and play against Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal,” he added.