Chelsea manager earlier this month had made it clear that a few clubs had shown interest in signing Olivier Giroud during the January transfer window.
And time and again, he had made it clear that if everything falls into place then the Frenchman will move out of Stamford Bridge by the end of this month.
While a number of clubs had been chasing Olivier Giroud all throughout the month but it seems like Inter Milan were always the frontrunner to signing him even though there was interest from the likes of Spurs and even West Ham United.
The transfer window though has officially come to an end and Chelsea have chosen to keep hold of the forward until the end of the season.
And when Frank Lampard was asked why his side did not let Olivier Giroud leave, he gave a very simple answer.
He said in his pre-match press conference: ‘Olivier Giroud in this window has been incredible as a professional and as a man.
‘We all know that there’s been interest and I’ve sat in every press conference and said it had to be right for Olivier, for myself and for the club.
‘He’s been impeccable in that period and I’ve got huge respect for him for that and as a player. Will he leave? No.
‘It’s my job with all the players to try and get the best out of them, with the way I want us to play and the things I need to see out of each position.
‘Each player has to buy into what we’re trying to do because that’s important. It’s key across the board, not just with Oli.’
It’s highly unlikely that Olivier Giroud will get any significant game time at Chelsea during the second half of the season meaning there’s a big chance that the forward might not be in contention to feature for France in the EURO 2020 scheduled to be held next summer.
