Arsenal: Thierry Henry’s Invincibility Could Get In The Way

Funny thing about club legends eh? They’re down right awesome. They’re rock stars and it’s no different for Arsenal. What will that do to Thierry Henry?

Arsenal is on a global market.

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Thierry Henry led the Invincibles to an undefeated season. He’s the closest thing we had to win the UEFA Champions League. Ironically our club legend is figuratively invincible.

His resume includes being Arsenal’s all-time leading goal scorer and our lead goal scorer each season for seven straight seasons. Seven. He’s won the English Premier League Golden Booth four times; that ’s also a record.

As fans, we tend to see our heroes through lenses of perfection, of being flawless. Their mistakes are often ignored or given excuses. They’re bulletproof. Youtube ‘Thierry Henry’. “The Greatest Every Arsenal Player – Thierry Henry” it’s one of the first options. Pretty self-explanatory huh?

How do you fault a guy like Henry?

And that’s what kind of worries me. We’re already seeing this with Arsene Wenger. The guy owns the club. He has final say on everything. Oh, Dortmund is asking how much for Aubameyang, well pull the plug on that transfer. He’s in control of salaries, contracts, and the works. Must be nice to live like a King.

However, the background noise is starting to get louder. The fans are unsettled. “Arsene Thanks For The Memories But It’s Time To Say Goodbye”.

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Woah.

There are reports of Wenger clashing with Henry. That can’t be good. I don’t agree with Wenger on a lot of things, but regardless of my opinion, we shouldn’t be squabbling with one another or maybe Henry is just being opportunistic. Who knows?

Thierry Henry may come in at some point and surpass his mentor. He could loosen the purse strings and buy a team that’s ready to compete now in both the EPL and UEFA Champions League. While simultaneously revamping our youth system to continue our long tradition of cultivating, and producing young talent that is given the opportunity to play.

Of course, he may not do this either.

There are mixed reviews on club legends coming back to manage their old club.

Kenny Daglish, the Liverpool legend that won 6 league titles as a player, only lasted a season and a half as manger of Liverpool. Alan Shearer, Newcastle United’s leading goal scorer, couldn’t save his hometown club from relegation as he won one match out of the remaining eight. Ouch.

Could the opposite be true?

Diego Simeone played as a “two-way midfielder”. I think that’s an old way of saying he was a complete midfielder. Simeone won the double with Atlético Madrid. He currently manages them with a combination of shear will, tenacity and love for the game. Atlético forcefully pried away La Liga from the two Spanish giants. Simeone should have caped it all with a UEFA Champions League victory against arch-rivals Real Madrid. Don’t let the 4-1 score line fool you.

Other legends such as Giggs are waiting on the sidelines; Zidane was thrown into the limelight in the middle of a season. Did I say limelight? I meant ultra critical and merciless criticism of the Madrid media.

It’s difficult to say which way it’ll go for Henry. Arsenal don’t have anything to compare him to because he doesn’t have managerial experience at the top level. Although, he does come to Arsenal and help train the youth squads. That’s the grassroots system of our club. I know many don’t think of that as a big deal, but it’s essential for any manger that wants to survive long term in the current managerial chopping block.

That sure places a lot of expectation on Henry. Best of luck Henry, I have a feeling you’re itching to tackle modern football as a manager.

It may not be a bad idea to give that guy named Tony Adams a ring on the telephone. I mean, Arsenal still have a need for a real replacement for David Dein. Wouldn’t that be something?

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Too bad Arsenal already fell asleep on Patrick Vieira, lets not do that again.