Olivier Giroud has opened up on his Chelsea move to AC Milan last year, speaking about why he wanted to leave. The French international made the move to the Serie A side last July, on a two year contract and he made 15 goal contributions in 29 league appearances, in his first campaign at the Italian club.
Giroud has had a wealth of experience in the Premier League, playing for Arsenal for six years before his move to Chelsea. The striker made over 100 appearances for the Blues, scoring 39 goals and registering 14 assists.
The 35-year-old seems to have found a new lease of life in Milan, which came at the right time for him, as he wasn't high on the pecking order, in his final season at Chelsea. Now Giroud has explained the hardship of his final months with the Blues and his potential exit options.
READ MORE: Olivier Giroud to Tottenham: The Spurs players who would benefit from the Chelsea star's arrival
"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," he admitted last week.
"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."
Giroud has shown the quality he has and that is why he would've had plenty of clubs wanting him to make the move. The Frenchman was even a player on Spurs' radar, as his Chelsea exit loomed.
A move to N17 could've proven beneficial for a number of the Tottenham side, as football.london reported at the time. However it was always going to be a difficult deal to try and get done, as the two London sides sat a matter of points away from eachother in the Premier League table at the time, as they battled for a top four spot.
"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. 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," Giroud continued.
These are similar comments to the ones the striker has previously made, when explaining his transfer hardship. Giroud even explained that Inter Milan was a potential at the time, where Antonio Conte was in charge.
"Everyone knows that Inter’s sporting project was the most interesting for me. Them aside, Lazio and Tottenham also looked at me," he admitted.
"At one point, it was a question of where I wanted to play. I talked to Conte on the phone, he’s known me from when he took me to Chelsea: that was an advantage for me."
Clearly plenty of options for Giroud, but it was AC Milan where he ended up and it has worked out well for him, so who knows what might've happened if he made the move to Spurs that summer.
READ NEXT:
What happened when Richarlison met Cristian Romero for the first time as a Tottenham player
Cristian Romero's seven word admission explains his Tottenham shirt number change
Richarlison problem can be solved by Antonio Conte at Tottenham as transfer success continues
