Arsenal: Can we not compare Aubameyang to Henry, please?

Arsenal fans and “experts” alike are drawing the comparison between Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Thierry Henry. Can  we not?

There has never been a comparison where I was like, “yeah, that sounds like a great idea, let’s compare these two guys.” Arsenal fans are extra susceptible to the urge to compare because of the desire to relive the glory days and not being able to reach that stage.

Kind of hard to do. They were invincible and all. This is the exact kind of thing that drove Granit Xhaka to years of not being appreciated simply because he wasn’t Patrick Vieira.

And now, we have the inevitable comparisons that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is “the next” Thierry Henry. Fans and “experts” alike have been drawing this comparison, although I’ll admit it’s not helped on by him choosing the No. 14 shirt.

Still, can we not do the whole, “Aubameyang is the next Henry” thing? Henry was the greatest striker to ever come through the Premier League. He won everything at Arsenal, spent years at the club and became the legend of all legends.

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Aubameyang is in his first full year at the club. Maybe he will go on to some fantastic trophies as well, but he is by no means Thierry Henry. And maybe the comparisons are mostly harmless, but when you say things enough, you set up these unrealistic expectations of a guy that even Aubameyang may have trouble living up to.

The play-style is similar, sure. They play fast and loose, firing home the goals and putting up some incredibly individual numbers. And sure, maybe Ozil or Lacazette can be Aubameyang’s Bergkamp. I get it. It’s fun to think that the glory days are back from the dead.

But do I really need to point out that they’re not? We are in a new era, a new place, with new players, new personalities and new everything. Grant a guy his individuality so far that you can appreciate that there will never be another anyone. No two players are alike and it’s unfair to start throwing around legendary names every time a player shows up at the club.

Maybe I’m overreacting. I probably am. But having watched Xhaka get lambasted for two-plus years for not being Vieira, I don’t want to see anything similar happen with Aubameyang when people realize that he isn’t the next Henry. He is Aubameyang, a prolific striker in a different way.