Gabby Logan has reminded Olivier Giroud of how he nearly signed for Celtic.
The ex-France striker-turned BBC pundit played for Arsenal, Chelsea and AC Milan in a glittering career as a player.
But had he made a different decision in 2010, he would’ve been playing for Tony Mowbray in Hoops instead of making his name in France.
Working on the USA’s clash with Australia, Giroud was asked if he would be supporting Scotland due to his transfer near miss by Logan.
Who is your biggest ‘what-if’ Celtic transfer rumour?
Olivier Giroud’s story about nearly signing for Celtic
Giroud recalled in his 2021 autobiography: “I felt invincible that season.
“I scored 23 goals in 40 games and was the top goalscorer. I won the Ligue 2 Player of the Year trophy and my salary increased to €15,000 per month.
READ MORE: European race on for Luke Graham amid Celtic and Rangers scouting missions
“The phone started ringing and several clubs were interested in me. Montpellier and Monaco, but also Celtic and Middlesbrough. My agents were working flat out to get me the best contract at the best club.
“My preference is Celtic and their legendary stadium, with its 60,000 capacity, is the stuff of dreams. I could already see myself there.
Strategically, this club would be a great springboard to realise my ambition to eventually play in the Premier League.
“But in the meantime, my agents Alain and Guillaume come up with the idea of approaching Louis Nicollin, the now much-missed chairman of Montpellier.
They advised me to take his call and told me, ‘You are free to decide which club you want to play for, but you should listen to what he has to say’.
“Flattered that this legend of French football wants to speak to me, I agree. Listening to him, I realise how much this club wants me. Straight off, he says ‘What are you going to do in Scotland in KILCHMARCHNOCK!’
“Mentioning the town of Kilmarnock is a slightly round-about way of bad-mouthing the whole Scottish championship. The chairman is desperate to persuade me not to sign for Celtic, who at this point are top of my list.
“He said, ‘Come to us, you’ll be all right — you’ll be happy’. He explains his club’s strategic plan in great detail. His star striker has left and Nicollin assures me I will be No 1.
“I’m becoming more and more tempted by his offer. I ended the call asking if I can think about it for a little while, but I already know my future lies with this club.
“After talking to Montpellier, my agents came to see me with the financial offers from various clubs who are interested, including Celtic and Middlesbrough.
They were offering twice as much as Montpellier. At no point do Alain and Guillaume use this as an argument to try and persuade me to move abroad.
“Quite the opposite, in fact. They say, ‘Would you not like to leave your mark on Ligue 1 before you head overseas?’. It’s a good argument and I signed for Montpellier for three years.”
👀 A reasonable figure?
Players to play for Arsenal and Celtic
The list of players to play for Arsenal and Celtic features some pretty strong names.
Of course, the obvious current one is Kieran Tierney, who has spent all-but one season of his career at either club. He is well-remembered by Arsenal fans, and adored by the Parkhead faithful.
He is joined by Celtic’s newest signing, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, a big name from English football who was a teammate of Iwobi at Arsenal.
Kolo Toure completed an invincible season at both clubs, whilst Charlie Nicholas was a hero of both supports.
John Hartson played in a European final for both, and lastly, Freddy Ljungberg’s spells at the two clubs couldn’t be remembered more differently.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
