Olivier Giroud: I will speak man-to-man with Thierry Henry about his comments

Giroud’s lone goal since Henry’s criticism came against Aston Villa in the FA Cup final

Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud has responded to club legend Thierry Henry’s criticism that the London club cannot win the Premier League without a better striker, saying that they will hold a conversation about it, The Telegraph reports. The Frenchman made the harsh comments during his stint as TV pundit for Sky Sports after Arsenal were held to a goalless draw by eventual champions Chelsea in April.

“I’m afraid they need a top, top-quality striker in order to win this league again,” Henry had told Sky Sports.

Giroud had responded by claiming that the former French international was just trying to create controversy as his punditry was ‘dull’. He has now elaborated further on the matter, saying that he will have a man-to-man chat with Henry.

“I know Thierry and I knew what he wanted to mean. If I see him we will have a conversation between two men. I’m not angry against him, but it’s true that I didn’t understand at first. But it’s alright. I’m not going to be upset about that. I’m sleeping well and as long as my family is OK, that’s the main thing. It doesn’t affect me too much,” said Giroud, as reported by the Telegraph.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger had come out in support of the 28-year-old reminding Henry that he himself had faced similar criticism during the early part of his career. The Frenchman, who scored 19 goals last season in spite of an ankle injury forcing him out action for three months, said that he doesn’t take such comments seriously.

“To be honest, when you’re a footballer you don’t have to listen to people commenting about your performance. The main thing is not to have any doubt when you miss a chance or miss a game. The best thing is to forget about the comments straight away and to keep the head up and not let it affect you,” the Frenchman said, according to the Telegraph.

Giroud: No change of shirt number

Giroud says he will stick with the No. 12 jersey

Speaking at the launch of Arsenal’s away kit in Singapore, Giroud said that he will be sticking with the number 12 jersey he has worn since his move to Arsenal three years ago.

“I don’t want to change the number. I’m not superstitious. I know No. 9 is for the attack leader, but I will not be a better player if I wear a different number,” Giroud told Arsenal’s official website.

“I have the nine with the national team and it is available at Arsenal (vacated following the departure of Lukas Podolski), but I don’t want to change because people have bought my shirt with the 12,” the Frenchman added, while speaking to Arsenal’s official website..