Thierry Henry is a player I love to hate. It filled me with great satisfaction that United finished Champions of England in his last year in the Premiership. Arsenal fans loved Henry and since I’d strongly disliked Arsenal during the late 90s and early 00s, it came naturally to have such a negative opinion of him.
“At one point it crossed my mind to leave,” Henry said in 2006, after signing a contract which should have kept him at the club until 2010. “But I think with my heart and my heart told me to stay. I’ve never played in Spain and never will. This is my last contract.”
However, just a year later, Henry was being unveiled in the Nou Camp wearing a Barcelona shirt. “I always said that if I ever left Arsenal it would be to play for Barcelona,” he claimed. Did he? I thought he said he was going to see out his career with Arsenal?
Scoring just 19 goals in 47 games, in comparison to the usual goal tallies of 30+ for Arsenal, it’s fair to say that Henry, who will turn 30-years-old next month, has peaked. So why then do people think he could possibly be good enough for the Champions of Europe?
Louis Saha has been strongly linked with moves to Sunderland, PSG, Fulham and Roma, following too many injury filled seasons for United. After getting through the best part of two seasons without an out-and-out striker, following the sale of Ruud van Nistelrooy, it seems as though United are determined to bring in a player who can put away the goals at ease.
Reports in the papers suggest that Tottenham Hotspur are looking for a massive £38 million for striker Dimitar Berbatov. Whilst a top quality player, Spurs are having a laugh if they think United will fork out that much for him. If they want to play hard to get, that is their perogative, but chances are they’ll end up keeping a player next season who is desperate to leave. So this has meant we have had to weigh up other options.
The Daily Star reported yesterday that we were eager to sign Thierry Henry. This isn’t the first time over the past few months that we’ve been linked with the current Barcelona player, however, the frequency of rumours does nothing to sway my opinion on the idea of this.
Ferguson believes the Barcelona forward could do a similar job to Berbatov, leading the line at Old Trafford in a role which would release Wayne Rooney from his shackles. It is the emergence of Henry as one player in the frame that will come as a huge shock to Premier League supporters – particularly Gunners fans. The thought of seeing their hero line up in a United shirt will fill Arsenal followers with dread – but such a prospect is not out of the question. There are few players in Europe with the pedigree to fulfil the role, which has led Ferguson to check out Henry’s situation at the Nou Camp.
The United boss has a history of making surprise signings – the likes of Eric Cantona and Henrik Larsson all came out of left-field. And he has no qualms going in for a player with such a big Arsenal history as he proved two years ago by trying to tempt Patrick Vieira to Old Trafford.
Whilst I think it would be pretty amusing to see Arsenal fans lose their minds over their hero signing for United, it’s hardly worth the £15 million that it would likely set us back. He is a has-been who quite simply is not good enough for Manchester United. His scoring stats from last season are a little harsh, considering he was used out on the wing for much of the season, however he has seen better days and was on the decline before he even left north London.
If Henry was still a top performer, then this rumour would be rather interesting. I can’t imagine how I’d ever bring myself to like him, but it just might possibly have been an option if we were confident he’d be banging in the goals. The wind up possibilities would be endless. Also, he carries the arrogance of our own French hero, Eric Cantona, which we maybe could have learnt to like.
However, this is a no-brainer. He used to be a cracking striker, but now he’s on his way out, and there’s no way United will be forking out a penny for Henry.
Would you be interested in signing Henry?
Never, never, never, he is a big time Charlie!
I would take him…hes class..at barca he was played out of position
I think he’d rather cut his wrists and poke needles in his eyes before joining a one-man band like United.
No chance. Fergis wont waste £15 million on a has-been Arsenal reject that Wenger passed off on. But enough of that, can someone tell me whats the story with our Angolian scoring machine – Manucho? i heard he picked up a bit of a knock in early July, does anyone know what way he is? He is not gonna end our search for a world class striker, but he could prove invaluable if he bangs in a few like he did in the African Nations, and would complete a quintet of strikers (along with the expected new arrival) which would be our strongest striker force since Cole/Yorke/Ole & Teddy…
Henry still loves Arsenal. He talks about Arsenal in nearly every interview even now. A player with that much feeling for Arsenal would never ever join their fiercest rivals.
Maybe Fergie likes being turned down? Vieira, then Ramsey and now Henry…
@ gazzap, if he loved Arsenal so much why did he leave?
To see him score against Arsenal at the Emirates or Old Trafford would be worth every penny. Just imagine the Gooner that you’re sick of hearing talk about beautiful footbal (everyone knows one), picture their face and hear the words.
Plus he was one of the best players to play in the Premier league, Barcelona played him out of position and didn’t kiss his ass day in day out.
I am sure you hate Henry in the same manner that I detest that boy Ronaldo
The media are just stirring it anyway, I don’t think Fergie would be interested him because his best years are now gone.
And I dont think he would come anyway.
henry would be a good signing for manchester united. he plays better than all of their forwards put together.
arsenal fans would be angry as well. wenger would probably have to sign another player just to placate them!
i think ferguson buying henry would be an interesting piece of business but ultimately it would backfire for manchester united and they would lose their title to arsenal.
also it should be noted that henry would be unlikely to accept such a move as he would be wary of upsetting his old fans.
always the same thing from man utd supporters moan moan moan at least we do not have to buy league titles and cups as for henry you can have him great bit of bussiness from arsen 16 mill to the mugs of barcelona now you after a gooner remember with all the millions you spent winning the title last year you only finnished 4 points ahead of a team of young boys who will be better this season as i said that is all you lot do is buy your cups and league titles
@1979Gooner, spot on mate, I agree.
I could never bring myself to cheer for Henry, he’s a twat and it’d make me one hell of a hypocrite. For much the same reasons a lot of us don’t like England: most of the team is made up of players we spend the rest of the time despising! Oh, and they’re shite too.
Anyway, for a start he’d just look daft in a United shirt.
An amusing one from the tabloids, and certainly better fun to read and debate than the Ronnie saga. But come on – someone’s having a laugh here!
Henry said, as you wrote, that he would never go to Spain, and promptly did it. He has also said that he loved his wife and kid more than anything, so much so he moved to Spain leaving them behind (classy eh?) 3 months later. He also said he would never play for another English club…do you see a pattern forming? Frankly I couldn’t care if he went to you, we had his best years…He’s past it now.
just when this blog produced a couple of half decent articles the irrelevant shit comes flooding back… this is clearly intended to be a sly dig at arsenal fans as they search for ‘arsenal’ news on newsnow
Yes dan it is and his a big fool for that, F@*% Tw@!!!
btw what a touch of genius linking ‘arsenal fans loose thier minds’ to the biggest idiot on the web lol
Lex – ‘they would lose their title to arsenal’?? Only if they were playing poker for it as you certainly can’t take it off us playing football.
@ Dan er think you are a bit paranoid!!
Nuttall – remind me, what trophy do you get to take home for finishing 4 points behind United?
I have tremendous respect for Henry as he was certainly one of the best of his generation and I think he could still manage two or three years of 20+ goals but there are younger, long term options that don’t have back problems, don’t demand as much money, and are pursuable
Nuttall- yawn!
how so?
when ronaldo leaves the other latin players will go
“this is clearly intended to be a sly dig at arsenal fans as they search for ‘arsenal’ news on newsnow” A little paranoid mate surely, considering we have been linked to the player, obviously we won’t get him for a multitude of reasons, mainly he would never sign for us, call me paranoid!
Shut the hell up scott the fool(red) let see what lady Lucky got in store for you lot this season!!!
Once a blue always a blue… i mean… once a gooner always a gooner
i also know you wont get him so what is the point in this article lol, if its to genuinely discuss something that clearly wont happen for a mulitude of reasons than i find that a bit odd. i think the reality is that this bit of non news was just another chance to declare ‘man utd are better than arsenal, your players whether past or present are shit and not good enough for us!’ which i would classify as a dig especially as arsenal is in the title and the writer knows fans will see it… but thats just my thoughts, call me paranoid!
I realise Henry set a high standard for himself but even 19 goals in 47 games is a pretty good return when compared with Berbatov’s 27 goals in 69 games last season. Even a washed up player seems to have a higher goal return than the player you (according to scandanavian websites) want to buy
hahaha,stop flattering yourselves,he would never join YOU!
Fifteen Million quid is too much ! BUT he was very impressive in his cameo appearances for Barca v. UTD in last season’s CL games. He only got a brief time on the pitch but he was direct and made VDS work – unlike Messi, who kept the ball and ran in circles. HOWEVER, TearyHenry is not really the “alternative” to the Rooney, Ronaldo, and Tevez whirligig. He would fit in well, playing with them but he is not the out-and-out centre forward that is needed to unllock the BoyWonder’s massive talents by letting Rooney play in a withdrawn role. Plus, TearyHenry has shown himself to be injury-prone over the last few years – a rich man’s LouisLouisHaHa !
LOL… look at all you man united haters… henry is the greatest player to have ever played in the premier league and has scored 19 goals playing on the left wing… when you look at spurs paying 20 mil for keane who only scored like 23 goals last season as a key striker and 28 years old u cant say henry is a has-been.
Next season he will be the focus of the barca team and you will see henry back to his best… then what would you man u fans say? hes 31 years old?
Focus on keeping your talisman (ronaldo) before u go talking shit about us not being able to keep a player that has been with up for over 10 years scoring 28+ goals a season.
Hello Arsenal fans, stumbled onto a United site? Sounds about right.
£15 million for Henry or £30 for Tevez? Errr let’s see, Tevez in one season has won what Henry has never won in his career, Tevez scored goals when it mattered, Henry hid when it mattered, Henry has never played well anywhere where Arsene hasn’t managed so I think it’s safe to say that he is rubbish and can only play under one system. Hardly world class.
lol @ messiahs ignorance
unless that was sarcastic in which case bravo
£30 is about right for Tevez – is this the same Henry who won the world cup in 1998, the euros in 2000, was part of the team that went unbeaten for a season, that won the league in 2001–02 & 2003–04, that won the FA Cup: 2002, 2003, 2005 or is there another Thierry Henry out there i dont know about?
Has a whiff of the Beckham to Arsenal rumours that surfaced every summer after he left you guys, ticks the boxes for the media so they run with it, regardless of facts.
Dan,
Arsenal fans to loose thier minds?
What the fuck?!
Surely you mean lose their minds mate….Nice to see that you stick up for your fellow Gooner
You should be ashamed…..
Anyway,
Henry has seen better days and I doubt very much that United would want him.
We saw the best days of Henry and I’m happy for that.
I’m just looking forward to the season when Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal battle for the Premiership.
It will be one of the best campaigns for a long time.
Henry is a class act….however it is true..everywhere apart from arsenal…he has been a bit of a flop. Juve? Barca? and france. And dont tell me he’s the top scorer at le blues etc etc. cause if i had zizou playing with me…id score a bagful an all.
Facts are with the national team… HE thought he was the big fish every tournament…BUT he wasnt…it was the TRUE genius that clocked 2 leagues that was the orchestrator and the puppet master..namely the genius zizou who took france to finals and won the world cup and euros and scored in major games. Henry bagged goals against east european opp.
And when zizou left the french team…oh henry thought this is my time to show how great i am…but what happened at euro 08. He flopped again.
Good player yes. GREAT player NO
oh yeh rite thanks for pointing out that minor typo… and i dont need to stick up for anyone just because they support the same side as i do mate, i use something called logic to form what we call an ‘opinion’
You have more chance of kicking the Queen in the head than Thierry going to United!
Agree with Wrighty7….lets just get to the season. Last year was great, with two teams that played the best football in the world in the top two spots for the majority of the year (and one bunch of D-bags grabbing lucky 1-0 victories and shit football to stay close…) This year should be another cracker with about ten teams all adding quality to their squads. Hopefully we can have a similar result as well…
Matt C – when did Henry win the FA CUP….02 and 03 – sure about that now!!!
99-07 comparrison of club level strikers
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Premier League – Champions : , 1998-99, 1999-00, 2000-01, 2002-03, 2006-07
Premier League – Runners Up:, 2005-06
FA Cup Winner (2): 1999, 2004
FA Cup Runners Up: 2005, 2007
League Cup Winner (1): 2006
League Cup Runners Up: 2003
UEFA Champions League Winner: 1998-99
Intercontinental Cup: 1999
UEFA Super Cup Runner Up: 1999
Community Shield Winner 2003, 2007
Community Shield Runner Up: 2000, 2001, 2004
Thierry Henry
FA Premier League: 2001–02, 2003–04
FA Cup: 2002, 2003, 2005
FA Community Shield: 2002, 2004
UEFA Champions League Runner-up: 2006
UEFA Cup Runner-up : 2000
Uh Oh. Yet another dig at Arsenal in the sly way that you write. Pointless methinks. First of all, I dont think you want Henry – he is too expensive wagewise and transfer fee wise. There is too much at stake for all parties there. Henry himself would never play for anyone in EPL – I am sure he will find enough takers in Italy, Germany or his native France if he decided to leave Barca. But I dont think he will – I think he will become the fulcrum of their attack this year. He is too classy for you lot – maybe thats why you didnt like him Scott.
lets leave all the bickering behind .
im a die hard united supporter and i have to admit thierry henry is sheer class .
arsenal are not our traditional rivals hence the media think its logical that we could be interested in an ex-arsenal legend . however , like scott has said its a no brainer . the media are bound to come up with such cock and bull , after all its the english media !
how can the old trafford faithful ever accept the man who has broken their hearts on more occasions than one ?
and honestly , henry appears to have far more integrity (than that ingrate ronaldo) . in my opinion he’d never backstab the gunners .
to all the arsenal fans visiting this blog – please stop reading between the lines . theres no hidden meaning in this article . all scott is trying to say is that we can never accept henry to be part of our squad .
@ nuttall -how dare u visit a united blog and accuse us of buying our way to success ?!!! you’re obviously someone who has started watching football during the past 2 years . may i kindly remind you that over the past 15 years , manchester united has had an enormous amount of success on the pitch —-which leads to $$$$$ (read – money) . we created a team entirely from our youth ranks and were therefore able to invest the money we saved on other big name players .
as far as last season is concerned . we had won the league before that and reached the semis of the champions league – do you have any idea how much revenue that fetches ?(whoops sorry , i forgot , u support arsenal , so you wouldnt have an inkling) . also the season before that we signed only one player – carrick , and sold off nistelrooy and some other rubbish . surely that would have filled our coffers , and as a fan i am more than happy that the club reinvested that money in signing 4 really important players whose contribution was telling in our champions league triumph . unlike your manager (miser) , sir alex is a lot wiser as far as finances are concerned and is not afraid to spend when he can . i seriously think wenger is obsessed by fergies success with his fledglings and is trying to acheive a similar feat .
so – hope i have made you realize the truth . stop spewing venom based on your myopic observations .
PG: Too classy, you must have a weird definition of classy cus right now United have classy players and its amazing that “unclassy” player like Solksjaer has won more than the “classy” Henry.
Henry is not a target man. He play in from the left remember? He will get in the way of wazza and tevez. Not to mention he is a has been
First off: I’m a Gooner. Second: mostly, this is a quality blog. Third: f*ckin hell, mate, can’t you get off some other way than hating other teams and their players? You know Henry is class, that looping shot he scored with his back to goal against you lot was the best thing you’ve ever seen, I know it. Now, you can’t have Henry but we’ll let you have Jeremy Aliadere any time you want. How’s that sound?
OTred… I rate Solksjaer and I rate Scholes. They have been excellent servants to your causes. And they have behaved classily over the years. Unlike your Ronaldos and Rooneys. So calling Henry classy is not the same as calling everyone else unclassy.