Arsenal Make Thierry Henry “An Absolutely Fantastic Offer”
January 26th, 2006 by Alan HylandsArsenal fans who are still smarting following Tuesday night’s Carling Cup semi-final exit at the hands of Wigan Athletic have some potentially positive news to help cheer them up as, according to Arsenal chairman Peter Hill Wood, they have made French star Thierry Henry “an absolutely fantastic offer”.
With a bumper five deal on the table including terms which Hill Wood described as “an offer which is probably as good an offer as anybody in this country - maybe other than Chelsea - would make”, the pressure will be back on Henry to make his intentions known and finally put to rest the rumours of his summer departure to Spanish giants Barcelona.
Whether Thierry Henry feels that Arsenal still have something to offer him in terms of success is another question as they risk finishing outside the top four and Champion’s League qualification this season.
Hill Wood also made it clear that he understands that the Gunners have some strengthening to do with too many players approaching the twilight of their careers at the same time.
As quoted by the Daily Star, “What we’ve got is two or three players who are probably a year from not being good enough in the Champions League. And to replace them immediately is incredibly difficult.
“Robert Pires, Freddie Ljungberg, Sol Campbell….whether they have lost a yard of pace I don’t know, but Arsene does know.
“You could certainly spend ?30million and not replace them. And Arsene is very good at not doing that. He’d rather buy young talent. He thinks the boys he’s just brought in are going to be pretty good.”
With the financial burden of Ashburton Grove starting to rise before them and the very real chance that they won’t qualify for the Champion’s League through the Premiership next season, it would be a brave Thierry Henry who put pen to paper on a new five year deal now before considering his options in the summer after the World Cup.
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January 27th, 2006 at 9:01 am
Although the whole thing increasingly looks like what happened with Campbell, I still believe there is one thing that will play in Arsenal favour when all is said and done.
Whether he likes it or not, Henry has never proved himself at another club. His game, just like Anelka’s, is well-suited to the English league but he’s failed to reproduce his goalscoring feats at international level.
Most centerbacks in England are slow, technically poor and naive. These characteristics have allowed Henry to make the best use of his pace and his intelligent positioning. However, he’s never been a natural finisher and, at international level, where goalscoring opportunities are few and far between, he just doesn’t cut it.
I for one doubt that the World Cup will enhance his reputation. France have a poor manager and will once again rely on Zidane to take them as far as he can. Interestingly enough, Henry scores even less goals when he plays with Zidane…
The difference between Campbell and Henry is that for the latter, staying at Arsenal is the safe option. Campbell knew he wouldn’t have to adapt to a new league or a new environment. On the other hand, if Henry decides to leave for Barcelona, he will have to face fierce competition from Eto’o and possibly Maxi Rodriguez for a place in the starting line-up. Even more so if Rijkaard decides to stick with a 4-5-1 formation.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Henry stayed at Arsenal and kept banging them in for the rest of his career. If anything, Anelka’s example should serve as a warning.
March 16th, 2006 at 3:33 pm
I am the appreciator of Thirry Henry