ARSENAL: HERO’S PLEDGE I listened to my heart ... it told me to stay here
Giroud’s happy at the Emirates
OLIVIER GIROUD snubbed summer moves to West Ham and Everton because there are still many more chapters left to write in his Arsenal story.
The 30-year-old’s future was plunged into doubt when boss Arsene Wenger paid £52million for fellow France striker Alex Lacazette, 26.
And Wenger admitted on Friday he opened the door for Giroud to leave out of respect to the player and for a little while he feared the frontman might just take him up on his offer.
But Giroud, who joined Arsenal from Montpellier in 2012, decided to stay and fight for his place at the Emirates.
And after scoring the winner in the dramatic 4-3 Premier League opener against Leicester on Friday, everyone associated with the club will be delighted with the decision he made.
“Naah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah... Giroud” rang around the stadium at the final whistle after his late header settled a seven-goal thriller.
Soul
Giroud confessed: “There was something in my soul and in my heart which told me to stay.
“I’ve been hesitating because I’m the most happy man when I play and I am on the pitch.
“But I keep the faith and I still believe I can have an important part to play this season in the club and I feel good in my head and also physically.
“So I am 100 per cent focused on the club project. I’ve been through five amazing years here so I felt like the story had to continue.
“There are nice days to come from me in an Arsenal shirt. Good competition is always good for the team – it forces you to always give your best.”
Wenger stuck with the threeman defence he switched to at the end of last season against Craig Shakespeare’s Foxes.
And despite Leicester’s three goals, he was pleased with the way they performed.
The Frenchman said: “It is important to build the game out from the back.
“Sometimes I am punished for it. For the second goal we lost the ball in our own half, but that has to be the basis of our game.
“If you want to play football you have to build the game out from the back.”