Olivier Giroud has revealed he left Arsenal for Chelsea because Arsene Wenger wanted a different kind of striker. The former France international, 40, spent five-and-a-half years with the Gunners, winning three FA Cups, before moving to Stamford Bridge in January 2018.
Wenger's change of direction
Giroud, who scored 105 goals for Arsenal after joining from Montpellier in 2012 for £9.6million, said his time at the club was over when Wenger sought to evolve his team. "I needed to leave Arsenal because of the fact that Arsene Wenger wanted to play with a different kind of striker," he told ESPN in 2019. "My time was over in Arsenal and I was really pleased to sign [for] a big club like Chelsea."
Arsenal had signed Alexandre Lacazette in the summer of 2017, and Wenger followed that by recruiting Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund in January 2018. On the same deadline day, Giroud joined Chelsea for a reported £18m.
Success at Chelsea and beyond
Giroud settled quickly at Chelsea, winning the FA Cup and later adding the Champions League and Europa League titles to his trophy cabinet. He worked under four managers during his three-and-a-half-year spell, including Antonio Conte, Maurizio Sarri, Frank Lampard, and Thomas Tuchel.
Now at Lille after a stint with Los Angeles FC in Major League Soccer, Giroud scored 11 goals for the French club last season and has one goal from six outings this term. He returns to north London on Tuesday when Lille face Arsenal in the Champions League group phase.
Bench threat against Arsenal
Giroud's prospects of featuring against Arsenal, who beat Leeds 2-1 on Saturday, may be limited, with Ayase Ueda expected to start for the side managed by Davide Ancelotti. However, Giroud has scored once and assisted three times in five appearances against Arsenal to date, making him a potent option from the bench.
