Though it has been a difficult couple of months for Arsenal, no fan be they a Gooner or not, can deny that it has been a blast having Thierry Henry back in the English football club system. His 20 minute cameo against Leeds United which ended with a historic Henry goal remains a bright spot of an otherwise pretty spotty season. Then there’s his goal against Blackburn in Arsenal’s 7-1 massacring of Steve Kean’s lackluster side.
However you look at it, it has been a delight to have him back and for him to grab two goals despite a limited amount of play time is a sign of his class (though granted Robin Van Persie did put it on a plate for Henry and it did take a deflection to beat Paul Robinson, but in the interest of not being a humbug…)
Now, according to The Times, Arsenal are looking to extend Thierry Henry’s loan deal so he can remain with the club until the end of the month and get to face his old rivals Spurs. You can just picture the Twitter-explosion that would happen were Henry to grab a winner against the Gunner’s North London nemesis.
Henry’s last Arsenal game is expected to be the Champions League showdown with AC Milan on Wednesday 15th, but Wenger is believed to want the Frenchman to stay until the end of February. This would mean that he would be available for Arsenal’s fifth round FA Cup clash with Sunderland on the 18th and the North London derby on the 26th.
Whilst extending Henry’s loan deal would generate a wealth of good feeling amongst fans towards the club, I’m not necessarily certain it would be the best move in football terms. Whilst it’s been wonderful to have Thierry back, he’s clearly someway past his peak. A well-taken finish against Leeds aside, his passing game has been off and some of his touches have been sloppy.
Whilst this may not be his fault – after all, it’s difficult to develop much forward momentum when you’re only playing in fits and starts – I do believe that the time is right for Arsenal to start looking to the future. Beyond Robin Van Persie and a couple of wingers, the Gunners have basically no goal-threat. It’s time to address this.
Surely it should be Park Chu-Young getting chances at the end of games, not Henry. Thierry is 34-years-old and a New York Red Bulls player. Park is 26-years-old and an Arsenal player. One is at the end of his career and the other has some potential – so shouldn’t he be Arsenal’s priority?
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Wenger’s next best options are Park and then Chamakh when he returns from the CON. Henry has played with RVP before and knows both the PL and CL better than just about anyone in the squad. “Sloppy” touches or not it is worth having him back and I’m quite certain he’ll prove you wrong yet again. Pointless article. All wrong.
While Henry is clearly not at his peak, I just can’t see why we should not extend his loan for as long as possible. Yes he may not be that match winner he once was but we have to look beyond just his contribution on the pitch. AOC has claimed he got great advise fr Henry. Walcott has surely sparkle more with him back. The spirit of the team benefit by having an experience head and a winner like Henry in the dressing room. And as much as u say that Henry is past his prime. But his 2 goals prove he can still score. And think about this, in the short time he is here I think he had 2 clear chance to score n he scored on both times! He clearly still can contribute and I say if it’s possible extend his loan for the whole season!!! 🙂