Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has claimed that Thierry Henry was wrong to criticise Olivier Giroud, insisting that he can follow in the footsteps of the Gunners' legend and become a world-class striker.
The 37-year-old claimed that his compatriot was not good enough to fire Arsenal to titles after drawing a blank in last week's 0-0 draw with now-Premier League champions Chelsea.
The former marksman-turned-Sky Sports pundit, who scored 228 goals for the North Londoners, says that his old club need a "top, top quality" forward, but Wenger says that he remembers the same doubts circulating about Henry himself when he signed him in 1999.
"I think he's wrong," Wenger told The Guardian. "He's paid for that. We know all the system now of the modern media, especially on TV. I know how it works. They push you to be controversial because they give you a lot of money.
"I can accept an opinion but the comment on Giroud was a bit more wrong, especially because I heard the same thing being said about Nicolas Anelka, about Thierry Henry himself and about Robin van Persie.
"And they all became world-class players themselves."
Giroud has netted 18 times so far this season despite missing three months of it with a broken foot.
Shane Callaghan
