Giroud looks to join the Arsenal 100 club
Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud has revealed that he was on the verge of leaving the club during the summer but a change of heart later and he has his sights set on his 100th Arsenal goal.
The France international moved on to 99 goals for the club when he scored the winner on the opening day of the new Premier League season against Leicester but since then, the form of Danny Welbeck and Alexandre Lacazette has kept him out of the side and prevented him from reaching his century.
With Arsene Wenger admitting today that he is set to make changes for Arsenal's Europe League game against Cologne on Thursday, Giroud is in line for a rare start and the Frenchman is in no doubt about what his aim is.
Speaking ahead of the game, Grioud told the press: "It's a privilege for me to play for Arsenal and to score almost 100 goals. I hope it can happen."
The club-record signing of Lacazette during the summer meant that Giroud was always likely to be demoted to a second fiddle striking option this season but the Frenchman revealed that despite interest from elsewhere, he decided to stay at the club due to his unfinished business in the capital.
"It's true that I was close to leaving the club because I wanted to play, but after big reflection with everybody around me I wanted to stay at the Arsenal and I thought the story was not finished," he explained.
"The club brings me a lot and I think I give it back. I still want to improve, again and again, and win some more trophies with the club. I said to the boss 'our story is not finished' and everyone was pleased with that."
Can Giroud bring up his century on Thursday?