Will the Real Thierry Henry Please Sign Up

Think of your profile of the ideal striker and it’s a fair bet that the result will look a lot like Thierry Henry. Tremendous physique. Real power. Explosive pace. Rare vision. Ability to run with the ball and take on opponents successfully. Devastating shot from virtually any distance – free kicks included. A maker of goals as well as a goalscorer. And a genuine team player, who manages at the same time to be a great ambassador for his club and for the game itself. In short, a football manager’s dream and the fans’ idol – a player admired, respected and coveted throughout the game.

What more could you possibly want? Well, in this case perhaps just one thing. The ideal striker might be expected to be, as they say, ‘good in the air’ – yet Thierry isn’t, so far anyway. And given his height, strength, natural agility, commitment and mastery of every other technique in the coaching manual, that’s surprising to say the least. It’s almost as though he has little interest in heading the ball, despite possessing all the attributes to do it well.

Of course, even without impressing ‘in the air’, Thierry has been for some time and by some distance by far the outstanding striker in premiership football, and one of a select few who may truly be referred to as ‘world class’. Given both his ability and his charisma he has been unfortunate to be narrowly beaten to major awards in the world and European game – though in the very near future he will undoubtedly have the satisfaction of eclipsing Ian Wright’s goalscoring record and thereby becoming statistically as well as technically the greatest and most popular striker in the history of Arsenal Football Club.

All things being well, Arsenal fans can look forward to many more seasons of Thierry Henry magic. He has spoken with genuine warmth and on many occasions of his love for Arsenal and his deep gratitude to Arsene Wenger for the part he has played in transforming an unhappy and unsuccessful winger in Italian football into a sensational scorer and creator of goals – all of which has led to the understandable conclusion that he may well choose not only to lead Arsenal into the new era that comes with the Emirates Stadium, but to end his career with the Gunners.

Lately, however, there have been signs that, where Thierry Henry is concerned, all may not be well. It has been suggested, for instance, that his performance against Chelsea left quite a lot to be desired. Those things which Thierry Henry can do and others can only envy were not much in evidence and in the absence, for the most part, of his characteristic pace and power, he began to look alarmingly like the post-Arsenal versions of Nicholas Anelka. Fortunately, Henry’s display against Fulham, enriched by much of his characteristic pace, power and guile, seemed to dispel any fears, but the effect was short-lived. Ever eager for stories and rumours that focus on star players, the media reported that contract talks had stalled despite Arsenal’s efforts to progress them, leaving Arsene Wenger increasingly anxious. Apparently, Thierry is concerned that the club sold Patrick Vieira and reluctant to commit himself until he is satisfied as to the Arsenal’s ambition and capacity for success.

If that is the case, this near perfect striker and hitherto excellent team player should perhaps focus his mind on two things. The first is the part he can play in Arsenal’s success. And the second is the near perfect manager who has done so much to make him what he is.