Arteta 'was the link between Wenger and the players' - Giroud

[Getty Images] Former Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud says not winning the Premier League in his time with the club is the "only regret" of his career. Giroud scored 105 goals in 253 appearances across five and a half years with the Gunners but, despite winning three FA Cups, could not help Arsene Wenger to a final Premier League title. "We had a great team," he told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast. "We played amazing football but, in the end, it was too hard to win the Premier League. This is the only regret in my career, not to have won it. We were close in 2016 when Leicester won it - we could have won it but they were flying and we collapsed a little bit in March. "The other years, other teams like Manchester City were too strong and we were not consistent enough. We were all frustrated at the time - that's why I was so proud and happy for them to win the league this year. "I was so happy for them that they made it 22 years after the Invincibles and they won the league. It was a long wait but it's well deserved." Giroud was a team-mate of Mikel Arteta from 2012 until the Spaniard's retirement from playing in 2016 and says it was clear the now Gunners boss would move into management. "Such a hard worker," he added on Arteta. "I never knew him as a manager but when he was the captain he was the link between Arsene and the players. "He was very professional, tactical, he tried to never leave anything to doubt. He wanted the team to be precise and was very demanding with himself and others. "If you didn't do the recovery runs, he would scream at you. He was a leader in the team. I remember him as a strong character, always really focused. He is living the game with passion." Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds