Giroud reveals Wenger's tactical shift forced his 2018 exit from Arsenal to Chelsea

Olivier Giroud left Arsenal for Chelsea in January 2018 because Arsène Wenger had decided to build his attack around a different type of striker, the 40-year-old Frenchman has confirmed — a departure that coincided with the deadline-day arrival of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund.

“I needed to leave Arsenal because of the fact that Arsène Wenger wanted to play with a different kind of striker,” Giroud told ESPN in 2019. “My time was over at Arsenal and I was really pleased to sign for a big club like Chelsea. I settled really well. It’s like I was part of this Chelsea team for a long time.”

Wenger had already signalled his intentions the previous summer by signing Alexandre Lacazette, placing Giroud’s first-team future in doubt well before the winter window opened. When Aubameyang arrived, Giroud was allowed to move across London for a reported £18m — a tidy return on the £9.6m Arsenal had paid Montpellier for him six years earlier.

During five-and-a-half seasons at the Emirates, Giroud scored 105 goals and won three FA Cup titles, cementing his status as a fan favourite despite persistent questions about his suitability for Wenger’s evolving system. At Chelsea, those doubts were quickly silenced.

“We won the FA Cup and I played a few games, and then I had the opportunity to go to the 2018 World Cup,” he said. “It was very good for me.” He went on to add both the Champions League and Europa League to his trophy haul during three-and-a-half years at Stamford Bridge, working under Antonio Conte, Maurizio Sarri, Frank Lampard, and Thomas Tuchel before departing in 2021.

Now at Lille, Giroud returns to the Emirates on Tuesday for a Champions League group-phase fixture against Arsenal, who beat Leeds 2-1 on Saturday. The veteran striker scored 11 goals for Lille last season but has managed just one in six appearances so far this term, leaving his chances of featuring against his former club uncertain.