Former Chelsea man Olivier Giroud has revealed that he was ‘so desperate’ to leave the club that he considered a move to Tottenham Hotspur.
The 35-year-old departed last summer after lifting the UEFA Champions League as part of the Chelsea squad under Thomas Tuchel.
Despite lifting the trophy, Giroud struggled for game time and opted to join AC Milan.
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The striker went on to lift the Serie A title at the end of his first season in Italy, adding to the trophies he had already won at Chelsea.
However, Giroud was not always happy at Stamford Bridge, especially when out of the team.
He was heavily linked with an exit under former boss Frank Lampard, with Tammy Abraham the Englishman’s preferred choice in attack during his time at the club.
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However, the Frenchman would have to wait until Tuchel’s reign at Stamford Bridge before he was granted a departure.
Playing a more important role under the German, Giroud scored important goals, such as a bicycle kick against Atletico Madrid in the round of 16, on the way to Chelsea lifting the Champions League.
The former Blue has now taken a slight dig at Chelsea’s rivals Tottenham Hotspur, stating that he was ‘so desperate’ to leave the club that he was considering moving to north London.
Spurs, then managed by ex-Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, are fierce rivals of both the Blues and Giroud’s former club Arsenal.
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When asked about his time at Chelsea, Giroud is quoted by Goal as saying:"At that time, I was not getting regular playing time at Chelsea, I was the third-choice striker, so I tried to find a solution with Frank Lampard.
"I couldn’t remain in that situation. I wanted to leave, but Lampard told me that he needed a replacement.
“He promised me that I would have had more chances and gave me the opportunity to do so, I think I scored eight goals in the final ten games of the season. At that time, Italian clubs were very interested."
The forward then revealed that he even considered a move to Chelsea and Arsenal's rivals, Tottenham.
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"I was so desperate to leave that I even told Lampard that I’d have joined Tottenham because I knew that Jose Mourinho wanted me. "
However, Giroud continued to admit that a move to Spurs would have been difficult as a former Arsenal player, also believing that it was in his destiny to move to AC Milan.
He finalised: “In the end, I think it would have been difficult because I had played for Arsenal.
"Destiny wanted me to be here, wearing the Rossoneri shirt.”
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Chelsea since replaced Giroud with Romelu Lukaku, who had an unsuccessful first season back at the club.
The Belgian finds himself sharing a city with Giroud now, having moved back on loan to Inter Milan as the pair will face off next season.
Kai Havertz is likely to lead the line at Stamford Bridge once again next season as the Blues hope to challenge at the top of the Premier League.
Topics: Chelsea, Olivier Giroud, Tottenham Hotspur, AC Milan, Football, Premier League
Nick Emms