"Tough" - Jeremie Aliadiere reveals importance of Arsenal, Arsene Wenger after Middlesbrough exit | OneFootball

Jeremie Aliadiere was speaking exclusively to Football League World about his time at Middlesbrough

Former Middlesbrough and Arsenal striker Jeremie Aliadiere has praised Arsene Wegner for allowing him to train with the Gunners to gain match fitness as he struggled to find a new club after leaving Boro in 2010.

Aliadiere was released by Middlesbrough at the end of the 2009/10 season after struggling for minutes that season, making just 16 Championship starts, and he struggled to find a club afterwards thanks to niggling injuries.

The Frenchman had joined Boro as a Premier League side but was unable to stop them from being relegated to the Championship in 2009, and he made 86 appearances in total for the club over the course of three seasons, scoring 12 goals and registering 12 assists.

The Riverside Stadium was to be the final stop on his English football journey, and he returned to France with Lorient in the summer of 2011, a year after leaving Boro, revealing that former Arsenal boss Wegner was a big help during his time as a free agent.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Aliadiere revealed how tough it was to find a new club following his Riverside Stadium exit in 2010, but it's clear that Boro still has a special place in his heart 14 years after leaving.

Quizzed about his struggles to find a new club after leaving Boro, he said: “That was tough. I had injuries which I couldn't shake off and I wanted to play at the top level. Unfortunately, nothing materialised.

“Arsène Wenger was great, he allowed me to go back to Arsenal and train to get match fit. I then went to Lorient in France and was there a few seasons before heading to Qatar.”

He added: “I had a great time at Middlesbrough. I wanted to play first team football and Gareth Southgate gave me the trust and belief.

“I would have stayed at Boro longer if I could have. I was playing week in week out, this is exactly what my aim was.

“I had many good memories of my time at Boro. The fans were great, they appreciated the hard work and effort the team and I were putting in. Unfortunately, we got relegated, but in the Premier League, it was a good experience playing each week and I am grateful for the opportunity.”

Jeremie Aliadiere had his best spell in English football at Middlesbrough

Despite the fact that Boro were relegated in 2009, Aliadiere's time at the Riverside Stadium actually proved to be his best spell in English football from a personal point of view, after playing for four different clubs.

Aliadiere was part of Arsenal's invincible-winning side of 2003/04, playing ten games to earn a Premier League winners' medal. However, game time with the Gunners was hard to come by, and despite being at the club from 1999 to 2007, he actually made just 50 appearances and had a number of loan spells away.

A loan spell at Celtic saw him play just two games before joining West Ham, where he made just eight appearances, having to drop to the Championship with Wolves later that season in a bid to play more regular football, and he did, playing 14 games and scoring two goals.

The chance to join Boro in 2007 allowed Aliadiere to play regular football, and that's what transpired for the first two seasons before relegation in 2009.

He scored five goals and registered seven assists during his first season at the Riverside Stadium, before scoring another three goals in the season they were relegated.

It proved the most fruitful spell he had in English football, and it's clear that he has some fond memories of his time at Boro.

His time training with Wegner's Arsenal side following his Boro exit saw him earn a contract with Lorient, and he had two spells with the French side sandwiched between a move to Qatar in 2014.