Olivier Giroud has revealed what Arsene Wenger told him before he sanctioned his move to Chelsea.
The French striker left the Gunners for their London rivals in January.
Giround had initially been linked with Borussia Dortmund, but opted to stay in London and move to Stamford Bridge.
The deal went through after Arsenal signed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Michy Batshuayi left Chelsea for Dortmund
“I went to see the coach to ask him where he was with Aubameyang. I put him under a bit of pressure, like my agent, who I spoke to several times a day. It is normal. I did not want to be deprived of going to Chelsea which was the best solution for me,” Giroud said.
“The coach immediately said to me: ‘Don’t worry, I will do my best so that you are happy’. On one side, it was normal. I had never asked to leave.
“On the other, I knew that he would not cause problems given the relationship we had always had. He even said to me that it would p*** him off if I did not go to Russia.”
Giroud insists he left Arsenal to become happy again and he did not join Chelsea for the money.
“It was frustrating at Arsenal obviously. For a year and a half, it went from bad to worse. I could no longer continue like that.
“I could not bring myself to spend another year at Arsenal and remain a reserve, even a second reserve. The future looked gloomy with the arrival of a new striker (Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang). I wanted to become happier again by playing, so I left – it is as simple as that.”
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