Olivier Giroud has revealed that Tottenham were interested in signing him in January 2020, but his Arsenal connections scuppered any chance of a deal happening.
Spurs were in woeful form following a poor festive period and were in desperate need of a striker after Harry Kane suffered a hamstring injury at Southampton on New Year’s Day and was facing months on the sidelines after undergoing surgery.
Giroud was in desperate need of game-time ahead of the delayed European Championships after falling out of favour under Frank Lampard.
According to the Evening Standard, the Frenchman was keen on making the move back to north London and signing for Arsenal’s greatest rivals, but nothing materialised and he ended up staying at Chelsea before leaving this summer to join AC Milan.
Spurs would end up bringing in Carlos Vinicius on loan from Benfica six months later, but Giroud explained how their striker situation could have been so different.
When asked what happened in that window, the 35-year-old told the Mirror: “Tottenham was there but, to be honest, it was not a clear option because the race for the Premier league top four made it difficult for anything to happen.
“But also in my heart, as a proper ex-Gunner, and as we always say: ‘Once a Gunner, always a Gunner.’ It would have been very weird to have played Tottenham. That’s why it didn’t happen.”
