Benik Afobe 'will be a big threat' to Arsenal, Olivier Giroud warns
Saturday 6 February 2016 12:30, UK
Olivier Giroud has warned Arsenal to expect "a big threat" from their former youth player Benik Afobe on Sunday.
Afobe lines up against his old team-mates on Super Sunday having scored three times in four games since signing for Bournemouth in a £12m deal last month.
The England U21 player came through the youth system at Arsenal but never made a first-team appearance and was eventually sold to Wolves after loan spells at six clubs.
Giroud, who played in the lower leagues in France before joining Arsenal, said: "Since he's joined Bournemouth, he's scored in almost all of the games that he's played so he's a big threat. We need to keep an eye on him, definitely.
"It's very important when you are younger to improve yourself. Benik has done that in the past and now he is ready to play in the Premier League. He's showing that he's got the quality to score goals, so it's nice for him.
"You know where you come from so after you might be more ready to face difficulties at the highest level. It helped a lot and in football you have to face difficulties when you're young.
"It helps you to become stronger when you have to face these difficulties in the future, especially at the highest level."
Arsene Wenger explained Afobe's failure to make it at Arsenal, saying: "He was very young. He had big competition in front of him: he had Robin van Persie, players like that, so I gave him authorisation to go somewhere and play, which he did.
"Overall you educate people to influence their lives and give them success - that is what we do. When they do not manage to play for us, if they do it somewhere else we are of course very happy for them.
"I believe Benik has done extremely well, even beyond expectations of many people and that's great, that's down to him and congratulations to him."
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