Signing Henry could come at the expense of the development of Arsenal’s best young talent:

Terry Henry was a sensation at Arsenal. He remains a Gunner’s legend. But to sign him on loan for a couple of months would be a mistake. Yes, he scored goals for fun and spearheaded us to glory many times, not least of all during the season we went unbeaten in the Premier League. At no point am I denying he was one of the best players we have ever had.

But cast your minds back to his last season with us and his attitude when things weren’t going as he would have liked. The strops. The raised eyes. The gestures. Since then, of course, he went on to play for Barca but didn’t really reproduce the amazing ability he showed in our colours, although he did manage to be top scorer with 19 goals in his first season at the Nou Camp. And a move to NYRB in the US MLS tells its own story.

I know we will be without Mazza Chama and the Gervster for a bit while they take part in the African Cup of Nations. The former is merely a squad player but valuable back-up should, Lord forbid, owt happen to RVP. The G-man is a threat with his pace and directness but doesn’t score enough goals.

I’d prefer Arseen Wenger to shuffle the pack and give the Oxo Kid his chance as opposed to bringing back a player who is 34 and past his best.

For the record, our leader said of his thoughts on re-hiring Tel: “I have to think about that. Short term is ideal for us, but I haven’t made any enquiry yet. Thierry is not here at the moment. It has never come up in conversation. January 1 is the vital date for us. We have seven days to make decisions on players.”

By all means honour the great man with a statue. But allow his golden days in red and white to remain untarnished by a return that would hinder the progress of our young guns.

Written by CARL ELDRIDGE for ArsenalInsider.com. – Hit unfollow on Twitter @eldomedia

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