Olivier Giroud reveals why he turned down Celtic

Olivier Giroud holds off Scott Arfield as Arsenal take on Burnley in the English Premier League. Picture: Getty

ARSENAL striker Olivier Giroud has revealed he could have joined Celtic prior to signing for the Gunners.

The France international, who signed for Arsenal from Ligue 1 outfit Montpellier in 2012 for a reported fee of £9.6 million, told Bein Sport in his homeland that an offer from Celtic had been on the table.

And Giroud - who has scored 57 goals in 125 matches for Arsene Wenger’s side - praised Celtic, saying: “I think Celtic is still a great club. I always wanted to play in the Premier League, a move [to Celtic] might have helped.

“In the end, I think I made the right decision [to stay at Montpellier].”

Giroud, 28, also revealed that Montpellier’s president Louis Nicollin asked the striker if he wanted to be ‘playing football against Kilmarnock or remain in France’.

Sochaux and Monaco also submitted offers for the Chambéry-born forward, while Paris St-Germain have also been credited with an interest in the past.

Giroud began his career with Grenoble, after coming up through their youth academy. He made an immediate impact in the club’s second-string team, scoring 15 goals in as many matches in the Championnat de France amateur 2 - the fifth level of French football.

He was promoted to the first team squad in March 2006, but spent the 2007/08 season on loan at Istres to further his development, where he was coached by former Hibs midfielder Frederic Arpinon.

However, 14 goals in 33 matches wasn’t enough to convince new Grenoble manager Mehmed Bazdarevic, who transfer-listed Giroud.

A spell with Tours in Ligue 2 and 30 goals in 61 matches caught Montpellier’s attention, and he signed for La Paillade before returning to Tours on loan for the remainder of the season, where he scored six in 17.

He found the net 33 times in 73 games for Montpellier, eventually signing for Arsenal in June 2012.