Giroud turned down reunion with his Arsenal teammate

After leaving Los Angeles this summer, Olivier Giroud joined Lille. But the French striker also had another offer, one tinged with sentimentality.

Details: The former Arsenal forward admitted that his ex-Gunners teammate Laurent Koscielny tried to persuade him to join Lorient, the club Koscielny currently represents. However, Lille's offer was more compelling thanks to the club's sporting ambitions.

Quote: “He was testing the waters. I was honest with him. I said there was a chance I’d finish my adventure with Los Angeles this summer, because it made no sense to stay where I wasn’t enjoying myself.

Then he got involved, describing the ‘little project’ he wanted to pitch to me. Lolo and I are close. But when Lille came in, I told him: ‘Mate, these are two different projects. You’ve just come up to Ligue 1 and will be fighting for survival, while Lille are playing in Europe and at the top of the table.’ He understood,” Giroud said in an interview with Canal+.