Chelsea forward Olivier Giroud has revealed he almost thought of leaving the Blues in January but changed his mind along the line to make himself available for Frank Lampard.
Giroud has scored 21 goals in 76 appearances across all competitions for Chelsea since switching from Arsenal in January 2018.
Having played a key role in the club’s triumph in the Europa League last season, the France international has been reduced largely to the bench this campaign with Tammy Abraham being preferred by the manager.
Lazio and Inter Milan were willing to make changes to his playing situation in January but the player had a change of mind and has since been in the line-up for the team.
The 33-year-old signed a new one year deal at Stamford Bridge in May and is looking forward to playing a part in the success of the team in the next years.
Giroud told Chelsea’s official website on the inspiration for his turnaround at the club: “I simply seized my opportunity and I repaid the faith that the manager had shown in me.
“That’s why the club ultimately offered me the chance to continue my time at Chelsea and I accepted immediately because I like it here. I want to keep winning trophies and I want to continue to show the manager that he can count on me.
“Plus, with the whole coronavirus lockdown situation, I didn’t really feel comfortable with the idea of moving abroad and uprooting my family. I think a lot about our quality of life and we have a great setup here. I think a lot about my family now.”
Giroud also talked about how close he was to leaving the London club in the winter transfer window.
He added: “I was supposed to leave in the January transfer window because I wasn’t playing much and I needed more game time to make the France squad for Euro 2020. I very nearly left the club but I really think that God wanted me to stay at Chelsea.
“The manager told me that he couldn’t let me leave because he didn’t have anyone to replace me. Everyone knows what happened so I won’t go back over it but the coach spoke to me privately and told me that he’d give more games.
“He kept his word and what then mattered to me was proving to him that he could count on me when I was called upon.”
