Theo Walcott claims Olivier Giroud’s wife stopped him from joining Everton

Everton star forward Theo Walcott has been in fine form since arriving from Arsenal during the last winter transfer window.

The 29-year-old has scored two goals and assisted two others in nine league appearances for the Toffees this term, and established himself as a regular for manager Marco Silva’s side.

Had things been different, Walcott shouldn’t have been the only player that switched Arsenal for Everton.

France international striker Olivier Giroud was also close to sealing a move to Goodison Park in the summer of 2017, with former boss Ronald Koeman revealing to Dutch Football magazine VI upon his sack last October that the player was in the building to sign before deciding to remain in London at the very last moment.

Giroud eventually left Arsenal in January, but chose to move to Chelsea instead, and Walcott has revealed his wife was behind that decision.

“He (Giroud) doesn’t want to move north of Watford, well his wife doesn’t want to anyway,” the Everton winger told ECHO.

The striker, and his family, remains in London, but a move away from Chelsea could still be on the cards, with the Daily Mail claiming the club are eyeing January moves for Inter Milan’s Mauro Icardi and Genoa’s Krzysztof Piatek.

Giroud has failed to break into the Blues starting XI, but the case might have been different had he signed for Everton.

Walcott, on the other hand, has seen his career take an upswing in fortunes, and he would be grateful that his own missus didn’t stop him from sealing a move to the city of Liverpool after spending 12 years in London.