Former Arsenal striker Jeremie Aliadiere has opened up about his regrets at leaving Arsenal, saying he believed he could have taken the place of club legend Thierry Henry.

Aliadiere joined, and left, Arsenal at the same time as Henry, however the pair’s careers have panned out very differently.

Aliadiere joined Arsenal as a youngster and scored nine goals in 49 senior appearances for the Gunners, before leaving for Middlesbrough at the age of 24 in search of first team football. The 35-year-old is now currently a free agent after being let go by French side Lorient last summer.

Henry on the other hand made 376 appearances for Arsene Wenger’s side, scoring 228 goals – making him the club’s all time top scorers. Post Highbury, the Frenchman had successful spells with Barcelona and New York Red Bulls before his retirement from football in 2014.

Despite their contrasting successes however, Aliadiere believes he could have taken the place of his countryman at the Gunners had he not left the club prematurely.

Speaking on Le Vestiaire, Aliadiere said: “I left for Middlesbrough because I forced the move, because I was 24 and needed to play. He [Wenger] was telling me to stay because I’d play. Now, I regret it. For me, Arsenal was the ideal club, and I wanted to do my whole career and spend my life there.

“It felt like a failure when I felt I had to leave, but it’s true that now, I arrived at the same time at Thierry Henry and left at the same time at Thierry Henry. If I’d stayed an extra year, maybe I could have taken his spot.”