Olivier Giroud says talks over a new deal with Milan are progressing well and hopes the second leg with Tottenham in the Champions League Round of 16 will be a turning point for Charles De Ketelaere.
Giroud’s contract expires at the end of the season and talks between the club and his entourage have been ongoing for a few months now.
“We must remain united. I want to stay and I hope to reach an agreement. We are in talks and I think things will go the right way,” the former Chelsea and Arsenal striker told DAZN.
The veteran forward discussed Milan’s issues in the first part of the year, although the Rossoneri have now secured three victories in a row across all competitions.
“We were all disappointed after January and we needed a game to react,” he said.
“We made it against Torino, Tottenham and Monza. We were not perfect, but we needed confidence and also the game with Atalanta will be crucial.”
Giroud believes Milan’s season changed in their home match with Roma. The Giallorossi scored two goals in the final ten minutes at San Siro, getting away with a 2-2 draw.
“We could still dream of the Scudetto at that point, but it was a turning point in a negative way,” admitted Giroud.
“It still hurts when I see the images. However, the most painful defeat was the Supercoppa because I had lost the World Cup Final only a few weeks earlier. Generally, we struggled to press together and defend as a unit. We were fearful.”
The 36-year-old comforted his teammate Charles De Ketelaere who has failed to justify his €32m price tag. He has collected 27 appearances this term, only delivering one assist.
“He needs a goal to change everything. As it happened to all of us in the Torino game,” said Giroud.
“He had scored against Sampdoria but it was ruled out for offside, I hope he scores against Tottenham in London.”
Milan won the first leg against Spurs 1-0 at San Siro and will visit Antonio Conte’s side for the decider on March 8,