Recent reports have indicated the major reason behind Olivier Giroud staying at Chelsea FC despite the Frenchman wanting to leave the club earlier this year in January. New information has come to light suggesting that the Blues director Marina Granovskai and Giroud’s wife Jennifer Giroud are really good friends.
And it is believed that Granovskai’s friendship with the striker’s wife convinced Giroud to extend his stay at Stamford Bridge. With rumors stating that the French international had a falling out with Chelsea FC boss Frank Lampard, Giroud was widely expected to seal a move away from the club.
Tottenham Hotspurs and Lazio were among the sides that had expressed interest in signing the player back in January. However, it was Inter Milan which were being considered the favorites to secure Giroud’s services earlier this year. According to reports, the Italians side had even reached out to the World Cup-winning striker’s representatives in the hope of ensuring smooth negotiations with the Blues.
However, despite interest from other clubs, Giroud chose to play out the remainder of the 2019-20 season at Chelsea FC. The 33-year old had expressed his desire of leaving the Premier League side due to lack of first-team opportunities. Lampard had preferred to start youngster Tammy Abraham over Giroud for the Blues in the initial period of the season.
The French international had publicly addressed the speculation suggesting his exit from Chelsea FC a while back. Giroud had stated that he saw his future as a player elsewhere which was the reason behind him wanting to leave the West London based club earlier this year. However, the 33-year old added that on Frank Lampard’s behest, he chose to extend his stay at the club.
The veteran forward has fine in fine form for the Blues since the restart of the Premier League last month. The Frenchman has scored four goals in his last five league outings, and even on the scoresheet in Chelsea FC’s FA Cup semi-final clash against Manchester United.
