Arsenal endured a major overhaul in January, where the Gunners offloaded the likes of Francis Coquelin, Theo Walcott, Alexis Sanchez and Olivier Giroud.
The absence of the French striker came following Arsenal’s club-record capture of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund but proved to be unpopular amongst some areas of the fanbase, who didn’t agree with selling Giroud to a rival.
Giroud had struggled to earn regular football at the Emirates Stadium prior to his departure but has enjoyed an upturn since moving to west London, earning four starts and three substitute appearances- including leading the line against Barcelona in the Champions League this week.
Speaking after the game at Stamford Bridge, Giroud backed up his decision to leave Arsenal in January as he told Goal:
‘Yes, definitely. I want to be at my best level now, I am working hard in training to be ready. Of course, sometimes you can close your eyes and score and sometimes the goal gets smaller like the other game [Crystal Palace].’
‘Trust me, I keep working hard and I am doing my best to reach my targets. So you can count on me to do my best, to be at my best level as soon as I can. I feel very good. I try to do what the boss asks me to do on the pitch.’
‘If I play, I try to give the best for the team and it is not up to me to speak about tactics. Yes, I feel very good on the pitch and I am trying to help the team to reach our targets. Obviously, the top four is the main target and the FA Cup as well. That’s it.’
