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Olivier Giroud has revealed that he had to leave Arsenal to secure a place in the France squad for the World Cup. The French striker left the club for Premier League rivals Chelsea in January 2018.
Giroud had scored 105 goals in 253 appearances for the Gunners before that after being signed by Arsene Wenger.
Giroud will return to north London this week, with the reigning Premier League champions taking on his current team, Lille, in the Champions League. Speaking about his time at Arsenal, he said (via Mirror): “When I come to Arsenal, I improve a lot in my game thanks to the daily basics we did in training.
“Work on your technique, on your touch finish, but also on connecting the play, deflecting the play, playing touch for your teammates and finishing quickly in the area.
“That was a perfect example. I improved a lot in that sense, to be the target, the wall that a player can use to use me. I had a very good understanding with the guys in the past. That was Arsene’s game, fast and smooth. And really fun to watch.
Also read: Giroud: Scorpion kick goal with Arsenal is still my favorite
“Obviously now the game is even tighter in the box and the teams defend very deep and low. It’s really difficult to do so, but now I watch Arsenal a lot and I see some similarities in their game and they always try to put a rhythm to the game in the final third.
“You don’t want to leave them in any space in the box. That’s great. I can see a lot of similarities [between Wenger’s team and the current side].
When asked why he decided to leave, the now 40-year-old added: “It was part of my career and my time. I had to leave the club to be able to play in the 2018 World Cup and we know the end of the story.”
“I was very sad to leave the club, but I had to make that decision and it was a difficult decision in my career, but it was necessary and important for the rest of my career. It is fantastic to return at 40 years old with a French club and play against Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.”
