Chelsea chief Marina Granovskaia has revealed they chose to trigger Olivier Giroud's contract option a month ago.

Giroud signed a new one-year deal with Chelsea yesterday, despite months of speculation linking him with a move away.

Granovskaia said: "Olivier has been such a crucial part of so many big moments for this club, from his contribution to our FA Cup victory in 2018 to scoring 11 goals on the way to winning the Europa League in 2019.

"He has continued to score significant goals, and we will never forget his effort against Atletico Madrid on the way to winning the Champions League this season.

"With so much to still to play for, there was only one decision we could make when we exercised the option to extend his contract back in April."