When Olivier Giroud was sold to Chelsea to allow Arsenal to bring in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang it seemed like he’d merely gone on loan but with his latest comments, the Frenchman has finally left Arsenal for good.
Ahead of Arsenal’s showdown in the arsehole of nowhere next week against Chelsea, Olivier Giroud has given an interview to the Daily Mail in which he talks about ‘bleeding blue’, something he probably should see a doctor about.
He also spoke about what he said to Arsene Wenger about fitting him into the side before he left for £18m.
“I was going to the boss and telling him we can change,” he said. “I would say, “We can put two strikers up front”, but Mesut Ozil used to play No 10, like a second striker, and I was OK with that.”
“It seems things are different [at Arsenal under Unai Emery],” said Giroud. “Sometimes they play two up front. When I was there it never happened.
“I always like playing against my old teams. It’s going to be tough, and it could be painful if it’s not going the right way, but you have to put the feelings and memories aside.
“I enjoyed the years I spent there. It has been a big part of my career, my first club in England and it will always be special, but now I feel my blood is blue. The same as the national team, blue suits me well.
“I settled in quickly. I felt like part of the family straight away. I knew a few of the players and I’m a sociable person, I always try to communicate. It wasn’t difficult to integrate. I always see it as a new challenge. I couldn’t have hoped for it to be better. And now I want to win my second trophy with Chelsea. To finish as top scorer and help my team. Our target is to win a trophy every season and this is the last chance.”
And the difference between Chelsea and Arsenal? “The main difference is Arsenal always tried to give the chances to the young players,” added Giroud.
“It felt like more players formed at the club could have the opportunity to play. Maybe you would get more time at Arsenal. They would be more patient.
“At Chelsea, you have to be ready quickly because in terms of trophies it has been the best club in England for the last 10 years.
“You don’t have time at Chelsea and when you are young it is quite difficult to find your place. You can see we have a very good academy producing very good players and a few of them are in the first team and that is a good example for the future generation.
“I don’t want to kill the dreams of these young Chelsea players. They are very talented, but it makes sense because Chelsea invest more in every transfer window and they buy more top players in the world who are more experienced.
“I am just being honest. People who know football and the Premier League and these two clubs, they know Arsene Wenger could not spend too much money. It was the philosophy of the club and because of that — or thanks to that — he would give the opportunity to young players.”
Olivier Giroud is currently the Europa League’s top striker this season.