Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has claimed that Olivier Giroud did not want to leave the club in January.
Giroud joined London rivals Chelsea on deadline day of the winter transfer window following the arrival of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at the Emirates, a deal which would have further limited Giroud's first-team opportunities with the Gunners.
The France international has already made more Premier League starts for Chelsea this season than he had for Arsenal, but Wenger has now revealed that the striker was reluctant to end his six-year stay in North London.
"Olivier is an Arsenal man. His professional career demanded that he moved, but his heart wanted him to stay," Wenger is quoted as saying by The Mirror.
"He left for similar reasons to Theo Walcott, by being sad to leave but also objective enough to analyse his situation. All our fans knew that Theo did not leave because he had any problem with Arsenal.
"It was just because he wanted to play and wanted to give himself a chance because he didn't get enough games here. Theo is experienced, is a real Arsenal lover and is a guy who always respected the fans and the club. Both Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud are similar cases on that front."
Giroud, who joined Chelsea for £18m, has scored just once in eight appearances for the Blues so far.
Barney Corkhill
