There are currently rumours abound that Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is looking to re-signing the club’s all-time top goalscorer Thierry Henry on a two-month loan deal.
The French striker, 34, is not due to return to his club New York Red Bulls until March next year due to the completion of the last Major League Soccer season and he has been training with the Gunners to keep himself fit. Wenger has admitted he hasn’t made any enquiries but that a short-term deal with Henry would suit both manager and player down to the ground.
Imagine how great Gunners fans must be feeling after hearing this news? First of all, all credit must go to Wenger and his players for turning their season round after such a slipshod start to this campaign. But, let’s not get carried away, there are still blotches in his squad’s copybook – striker Robin van Persie has been incredible this season but he can’t do it all by himself and, let’s face it, his fellow strikers haven’t exactly shone recently. Marouane Chamakh, whilst showing glimpses of his ability in the last campaign, has been virtually anonymous this season.
It’s questionable whether his commitment to the Arsenal cause remains given his number of low-key performances in the last few months. Andrei Arshavin is another who has fallen down the pecking order – limited only to substitute appearances this season so far and when coming from the bench often failing to make his mark on the game.
Gervinho and Theo Walcott have both had key roles in supporting RvP in an often-used three-pronged attack by Wenger but neither player is loaded with goals and, as said earlier, it’s a lot of weight for the hot-shot Dutchman to carry having to score the majority of Arsenal’s goals himself.
The timing of this would be ideal for Arsenal – the African Nations Cups is due to start at the end of January and both Chamakh and Gervinho will be representing their countries leaving Wenger short of numbers up front. The return of Henry, even if it was on a short-term deal, can only be a potentially great thing for Arsenal. The fans would welcome back their hero with open arms and who could argue with them? This is a man who commands respect in the game, a man who scored 226 goals in 370 games for the Gunners. His presence alone in Arsenal’s relatively young squad would give the place a huge lift and provide a platform on which to build for the remaining months of the season.
A once-lauded hero returning to his old stomping ground doesn’t always go according to plan; Robbie Fowler returned to Anfield after departing years previously and failed to recapture his goalscoring form of old and Robbie Keane (he of about 10 clubs) returned to Spurs after a brief flirtation with Liverpool only to find himself quickly falling down the pecking order at White Hart Lane. Henry, though, is a different kettle of fish altogether – he’s the Arsenal talisman, he knows the club inherently and what the expectations are and, despite his age, can still inflict damage on the opposition.
Come on, Arsene, pick up the phone.
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