Why Selling Thierry Henry Might Be a Good Move

By: Daryl | June 24th, 2007

TH14 signed shirt So Thierry Henry is finally leaving Arsenal for Barcelona, and the Gunners are only getting £16 million in return. Seems like a pretty poor deal. Certainly there’s an argument to be made that losing an irreplacable player is an impossible blow to recover from, especially when he’s a fans favourite, the clubs all-time top scorer and the experienced head amidst a sea of young players.

But you could also argue that this is exactly the right move for Arsenal, as well as for Thierry Henry.

First up, Henry. He’s not getting any younger. He’s 29, and the next number after that is (consults with calculator…) 30. So if the man wants to test himself in La Liga then he has to do it now. No point going to play in Spain when he’s past his best. Henry’s given Arsenal eight fantastic years and a level of loyalty that’s not exactly Alan Knight, but still above and beyond the norm in modern football (compare Henry’s Arsenal tenure to the man he essentially replaced - Nicolas Anelka - and you’ll see what I mean.) So he’s earned the right to go and test his mettle elsewhere.

Second, Arsenal. This move could work out very nicely for them and here’s why: If a club is serious about challenging for honours - and Arsenal are serious - the they can’t rely on one player. In the last couple of seasons the burden of responsibility has increasingly fallen on Henry, a testament to his talent but not a good way to build a team. If Henry was injured or has an off day, then Arsenal struggled. Much better for the team to be build up again, with responsibility shared more equally between the players.

Just as importantly, Henry leaving puts an end to the will-he-stay-or-will-he-go stories that have unsettled things at Ashburton Grove for the last two seasons. Players and fans like to know where they stand and the constant rumours add a degree of uncertainty that’s not condusive to success. Had Henry stayed then the rumours would have reappeared in January, and again in the summer. Once he leaves, no more rumours. But also no more Henry.

Again though, Henry’s not getting any younger. Not to say he’s losing it or that he wouldn’t play like a prince in the Premiership next season, but if Wenger wanted to get a decent amount of money for his star striker then it had to be before he hit the big three-oh. £16 million may not seem much for a player this talented, but it’s more than they’d have got next summer or the one after that, and now that money can be re-invested. And who better to re-invest that money than Arsene Wenger? Star players come and go, but great manager’s define a club, which makes Wenger the Frenchman that Arsenal really need to hang onto.