Scoring five goals in 45 appearances for Arsenal during his eight year spell at the London club, Jérémie Aliadière isn’t fondly remembered for his composure in front of goal, but he’s still remembered nonetheless.
The now 33-year-old striker, who has returned to Lorient for a second spell this season after leaving Umm Salal in Qatar, gave an interview to So Foot about what led him to give Ligue 1 another go, as well as his past achievements.
Brought into the Arsenal academy from Clairefontaine in 1999, the forward only had nice words to say about Arsène Wenger, the man who gave him a chance and launched his career on the big stage.
He said: “Arsène will always be like a second father to me. He took me when I was 16. He took care of me for many years. We still talk on the phone. We saw each other when I came back to Arsenal five years ago to train.
“This summer, I worked with an Arsenal physio with who I was in touch. I also spoke to Arsène about it.”
As for his best memory in an Arsenal shirt, there can only be one, really: “Winning the Premier League with Arsenal in 2004 by being invincible. It was amazing. Playing with Bergkamp, Henry, it was fantastic. There’s nothing better.”
A move to Middlesbrough followed his time at Arsenal, where he stayed for three years before being released and wandering the free agency wilderness for a year.
Picked up by Lorient in 2011, the striker enjoyed the best spell of his career in Ligue 1, scoring 25 goals and picking up 15 assists in 76 games.
He’s now back for more.
