Olivier Giroud takes subtle swipe at Arsenal

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Bengaluru, March 25: Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud claims his winter move to the other side of London should not be seen as a surprise to people because he chose the best club in England.

Giroud was restricted of a starting role this season at Emirates after the arrival of former Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette. Manager Arsene Wenger mostly used the former Montpellier forward in the Europa League this season to make him the backup striker of the squad.

But once they decided to bring in another striker in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the former Arsenal striker switched to the London side's arch-rivals Chelsea for £18 million on an 18 months deal with a hope of more game time.

The France international ended a five-and-a-half-year spell at Arsenal, with 105 goals to his name and three FA Cups which mostly shows that his time at Emirates was a hit.

However, his move to Stamford has often been in the headline for switching the alliance between two rivals but the French forward in a recent interview has hit back at his critics and made a sly dig at Arsenal by claiming that he joined the Blues as they are the most successful side of English football in this decade.

The striker said: "I have come to the English club which has won most title over the last 10 years - that says everything. With Chelsea, I think I have surprised people."

Since making the move, the 31-year-old has made eight appearances for Chelsea however only able to net one goal, which came against Hull City in a 4-0 win in the FA Cup in February. But the French forward claimed although he is convinced with the start that he has made at his new club but admits that he will need to increase his goalscoring tally if he is to be considered a success at Chelsea.

He said: "I am happy with my adaptation, the welcome I received, the relationship on the ground with my partners.

"But, that could have, it should have, been more goals. In terms of statistics, I am very attached to this, I remain stuck at one goal and three assists in five appearances. It is sure that it is not enough, but in time I will do it."