GIROUD: GOD KNOWS WHY I STAYED HERE
OLIVIER GIROUD says divine intervention – combined with the coronavirus – convinced him to stay at Chelsea.
Giroud agreed terms with Inter Milan in January, but Blues boss Frank Lampard vetoed the move as he could not sign a replacement.
The France World Cup winner slowly played his way back into favour after that, with Chelsea offering him a new one-year deal.
Giroud wanted two years and talks looked on the verge of collapse at one point, with Inter favourites to sign him on a free this summer.
But the 33-year-old eventually decided to stay and says lockdown helped to finally change his mind.
Giroud said: “I very nearly left the club, but I really think that God wanted me to stay at Chelsea.
“I like it here, I want to keep winning trophies and I want to continue to show the manager that he can count on me.
“Plus, with the whole lockdown situation, I didn’t really feel comfortable with the idea of moving abroad and uprooting my family – I think a lot about our quality of life and we have a great set-up here.”
Giroud (below, left in training) still faces a battle for playing time at Stamford Bridge, with the club looking for a striker to compete with him and Tammy Abraham.
But he has always been popular at Chelsea, with Lampard praising his professional attitude.
Giroud said: “I was supposed to leave in January as I wasn’t playing much and I needed game time to make the France squad for Euro 2020.
“The manager told me that he couldn’t let me leave because he didn’t have anyone to replace me.
“The coach told me that he’d give more games – and he kept his word.”
Left out of the squad for 10 Premier League games in a row, Giroud was suddenly back in and scored twice in four games before the season was suspended.
He added: “We played Spurs and I scored. I kept my place in the side and then I found the net again against Everton. I repaid the faith that the manager had shown in me.
“That’s why the club ultimately offered me the chance to continue my time at Chelsea and I accepted.”