Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud says he was urged to leave Arsenal by France coach Didier Deschamps

James Benge5 February 2018

Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud has revealed that France head coach Didier Deschamps urged him to leave Arsenal ahead of this summer’s World Cup.

Giroud joined Chelsea for £18million on Wednesday after five-and-a-half years at Arsenal, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s arrival having relegated him to third-choice striker behind the new signing and Alexandre Lacazette.

The 31-year-old Giroud had already struggled for regular game time at Arsenal, making only one Premier League start, leading to concerns he could miss out on a fiercely-contested spot in Deschamps’ World Cup squad.

Giroud has revealed that he sought his international manager’s advice before opting to leave Arsenal.

“Deschamps didn't encourage me to join Chelsea, he encouraged me to change clubs,” Giroud told Telefoot.

“Everyone knows my attachment to the France side and every time I wear the shirt it's with a lot of pride.

“So of course I want to play the World Cup in Russia, which will surely be my last, so I need to give myself every chance.

“One week before the end of the transfer window, we spoke, yes. I needed to get his opinion, that's all.”

AFP/Getty Images

Arsene Wenger had been reluctant to lose Giroud, particularly as in the process he strengthened a direct rival. However the French striker’s move was a necessary evil for Arsenal, allowing Chelsea to loan Michy Batshuayi to Borussia Dortmund and the Gunners to subsequently secure Aubameyang from the Germans.

Arsenal had hoped to loan Giroud directly to Dortmund whilst several other leading European sides declared their interest, including Roma, who had they been successful would likely have sent Edin Dzeko to Chelsea.

However as with last summer, when he rejected Everton, the lure of London was strong for Giroud and his young family.

“My choice was simple,” Giroud added. “Last summer, I wanted to stay with Arsenal to try my luck even though Alex Lacazette arrived. The fact remains the coach wanted to recruit another centre forward.

“With Aubameyang signing for Arsenal that would have made it at least three centre-forwards. That's the logic and why I decided to leave Arsenal.

“There's obviously a form of disappointment. But you can understand it. Even though I'd spent five and a half magnificent years there it was logical for my career to evolve and to find a new challenge.

“I could have stayed, but I needed solutions, I wanted to stay in the Premier League and Chelsea were a great option for me. There was Dortmund interested, but for a loan deal. There was Sevilla, and my agent received a call from Roma at one stage.

“But the choice was fairly clear and obvious from the moment I knew Antonio Conte wanted to work with me.”

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