‘I was so desperate to leave I’d have joined Tottenham!’ - Ex-Arsenal star Giroud recalls Chelsea transfer push
Former Chelsea and Arsenal forward Olivier Giroud has revealed that he almost threatened to join Tottenham when he was attempting to force a move from Stamford Bridge amid a lack of game time.
The France forward has found a new lease of life in Serie A since arriving at Milan, who he helped fire to Serie A title glory last term.
But it took some creative encouragement from the striker to get his move, with the veteran attacker now revealing that he suggested to then-Chelsea boss Frank Lamaprd that he might try for a switch to Spurs, major rivals to both the Blues and the Gunners, with whom they share the north London derby.
What has Giroud said about his transfer troubles?
"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," Giroud told a press conference this week. "I couldn’t remain in that situation. 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.
"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."
Olivier Giroud's trophy collection is absolutely elite 👑 pic.twitter.com/GDk6TTqLFM
— GOAL (@goal) May 23, 2022
How has Giroud fared at Milan?
Having been an unused substitute in Thomas Tuchel's Champions League final-winning side at the end of the 2020-21 season, Giroud secured a move to Milan on a two-year deal last July.
He promptly rewarded the faith shown in him by Stefano Pioli's side, racking up 38 games across all competitions with 14 goals scored - his best return since the 2016-17 season he spent with Arsenal.
That helped the World Cup winner to a second league title, following Ligue 1 success with Montpellier a decade prior, as Milan won the Serie A crown - and helped bolster his chances to make France's squad for their title defence at Qatar 2022 later this year.