The Frenchman has not ruled out staying at Stamford Bridge for another year regardless of the recent uncertainty over his future.
Olivier Giroud says he’s open to staying at Chelsea past the end of the year despite having come near creating a January move away from the club.
Inter had agreed a contract with the Blues striker, with Lazio and Tottenham having also expressed an interest in the French World Cup winner.
Chelsea ultimately opted to maintain Giroud after failing to sign a forward in January, with Ajax winger Hakim Ziyech place to sign in a #37 million ($47m) move in the summer.
The Blues had looked at earning Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani and Napoli forward Dries Mertens, but Giroud is back in Frank Lampard’s staff and happy at Stamford Bridge.
“Yes, of course,” Giroud responded when asked if he is happy to stay at Chelsea past the end of the season, when his current deal expires. “There are a couple of weeks [to go], games to win and possibly another decoration.
“And after I believe I’ve got two, three pleasant seasons in front of me. It is not the time to talk about contracts. But one more time I will make a choice when it comes.
“It is behind me. It was a difficult month for me. I just spoke with the supervisor and I thought what he said, I would get my chance and he’s given me my opportunity.
“I’ve tried to present his confidence back to the pitch. I do my job the best I can and I am very pleased to be back in the group. Naturally, my confidence is better. The transfer window is behind me. I am a Chelsea player, I am happy here and that’s the main thing.”
Chelsea face Everton from the Premier League on Sunday knowing they are only 3 points clear of fifth-placed Manchester United from the race for a top-four finish.
Giroud is very likely to keep on directing the line as Tammy Abraham continues to miss out through injury but he’s trusting the English forward is available again shortly to give competition in the attack.
“My confidence is becoming higher and higher because I’m playing more matches,” he added. “I don’t know how long Tammy will be outside to be honest.
“When he comes back I’ll need him to be ready and then we could have a great rivalry again, which will be good for the team. Everybody has to be prepared, to be good emotionally, to give everything for the team. I believe that is exactly what we did against Liverpool.”
Lampard faces many major selection headaches before the battle at Stamford Bridge with Kepa Arrizabalaga possibly replacing Willy Caballero in a target.
Giroud insists that he sees similarities to his position and that being experienced by Kepa at the moment, with the Spaniard having been dropped by Lampard following a series of inconsistent displays.
“I told him I was happy for him (after Kepa’s performance in the win over Liverpool in the FA Cup). He deserved to be man of the match because he saved us a few times. There’s fair competition between him and Willy, they’re equally training really hard,” Giroud stated.
“His situation has been exactly the same as mine – when you have the opportunity to be aggressive and critical for the team you must take it.
“He is a difficult man, but very quiet. He has not said anything [about being lost ]. We can understand his disappointment, but you need to respect the manager’s decisions.
“You must work hard to get back in the team. He’s done well against Liverpool and it is a fantastic answer. I am always talking about the care vert’, like we say in France, that is the reality of the pitch.
“Carre is square and vert is green. This is the reality of our occupation. You simply need to be ready once the manager sets us on the pitch. I’m happy for all of us.”
