Olivier Giroud says his decision to leave Chelsea for AC Milan was an “obvious choice”, with the striker conceding that life at Stamford Bridge had become “too difficult”.
The France international brought a nine-year spell in the Premier League to a close over the summer, with the former Arsenal player opting to take on a new challenge in the Italian Serie A.
He walked away with FA Cup, Europa League and Champions League trophies to his name, but with huge competition for places in London forcing him to accept that a new start had to be made at 34 years of age.
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Explaining to Telefoot on why he took the decision to leave London for Milan, Giroud said: “I liked the Premier League, but at some point, I had to make a decision. “I told [Thomas] Tuchel that the last three months had been too difficult.
“It was an obvious choice to leave Chelsea, I moved on with great emotion for all the moments we experienced. Some were good, some others not so much, but we won three important titles.”
Giroud’s time in England saw the Frenchman score 105 goals for Arsenal and another 39 for Chelsea, with over 370 matches played in across spells with two capital giants.
He is already off the mark at his new club, Milan, with two efforts registered across four appearances.
He has linked up with another veteran goalscorer in the form of Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Giroud believes title glory is a realistic target for the club.
He added: “Zlatan is a legend and there will be a real competition between us. “I can score at least 15 goals, that’s what I hope. If I play every game, that’s what I expect.
“I hope [we can win the Scudetto], we have the quality and young players. It’s a clear target we have.”
AC Milan currently sit second in the Serie A standings at present, two points behind league leaders Napoli – who are yet to drop a point – after six matches.
