Henry is gone...Arsenal Lives On

With reports of Thierry Henry’s impending transfer to Barcelona, for a measly fee of £16 million, while a world class centre forward and Arsenal legend leaves, Darren bent, a relatively inexperienced English striker is being mooted around at £18 million pounds. The proposed inflation in the transfer market has surrounded English clubs buying and selling from one another, with Manchester United spending close to £54 million on three imports from foreign leagues. So where does this leave Arsenal, whose talisman uttered these words: "This is my last contract. It is where I belong", last summer, and now completes a complete turnaround to his statement, completing a significant move in what truly will be the final contract of his career.

The simple fact is that there will never be another Thierry Henry. While there may be young pretenders, with Theo Walcott and Ryan Babel, both biding their time on the wing, before playing in a similar role to Henry. True class is rare and Henry was a legend. Remember each of his 226 Arsenal goals, and relive them with joy. Remember the barnstorming run against Tottenham, and the daring celebration which followed. Remember the outrageous back heeled finish against Charlton. Remember the wonder goal in the Bernabeu. Remember Thierry Henry, the greatest player to ever grace the Premiership, with joy.

And while we dare not crucify him, we must see that there is a growing uncertainty in the direction of Arsenal’s future on and off the pitch. With the news that the board are willing to work with Stan Kroenke after Peter Hillwood’s unnecessarily blunt remarks concerning the American, this appears to point to a possible takeover with David Dein’s possible reinstalllment as Chairman. Arsene Wenger’s future too is uncertain, although this has been a common pattern as the French tactician almost always commits to a new contract at the end of his current one, which prompts media speculation into his future. More worrying is the number of players tied to Wenger’s future with Cesc Fabregas, amongst others, with an uncertain future at the club. Therefore it is vital for the uncertainty in the upper hierarchy of the club to be settled and for the club to continue to add to its illustrious history. While there will be great players and managers, no one person is greater than the club itself.

One problem is due to the inflated transfer fees in players coming over to England, it will be difficult to find a player who can stop the lack of Thierry Henry’s influence in Arsenal’s game being found. Therefore it is vital that Wenger gets the player that he wants to replace Henry, with Patrick Vieira (Wenger failed to buy Julio Baptista as well), not effectively replaced until Fabregas developed into his new type of role dominating games with his ability rather than pure physicality. Therefore here are a number of players who Wenger could have his eye on:

Ryan Babel has been likened to Henry by his national team coach Marco Van Basten, who incidentally was Henry’s idol when he was a young hopeful. The player himself is right footed though plays on the left wing and can also play up front. He is blessed with pace and trickery and so on his day can bamboozle opponents with his skill. He is inconsistent, naturally due to his inexperience and so this is not the kind of player that needs to be added to Arsenal’s strike-force as experience and goal-scoring prowess is needed.

Speaking of goal scoring prowess, Klaas Jan Huntelaar is a striker whose goal-scoring record for teams at different ends of the spectrum in the Dutch league. The player himself is relatively young and again is unproven in a foreign league but his record of 37 goals in 46 Ajax appearances shows his instinct for goal. The player would not provide Thierry Henry’s sheer elegance (he is, in fact, more likened to Ruud van Nistelrooy) or be as involved in the build up, but he would be a ‘fox in the box’, a tag shunned by Arsenal fans, since the signing of Francis Jeffers, who was a spectacular disappointment.

Carlos Tevez is a player that can bring the same level of excitement to fans as Thierry Henry. After a season of acclimatization to the English league in which he still managed to save his club, West Ham United, from relegation, he appears to be ready to step in to the shoes of a legend. Tevez has been a club talisman all his life, carrying Boca juniors and Corinthians on his broad shoulders, the latter almost suffered disciplinary action due to its involvement with MSI, whom Tevez is also associated with. This may put off Wenger as third party ownership deals enter murky water. Also an asking price of close to £32 million pounds and interest from Inter Milan and Real Madrid may mean that Tevez is out of reach due to the superiorly financially backed rivals.

Darren Bent has a eye for goal and is proven in this league, scoring goals for a side of considerably less quality. He is valued at a price greater than what Henry has been sold for, which is not uncommon as the lack of available, quality English players, who are in scare supply. He has clever movement and would love to try his luck at a bigger club but there has been no link and again Wenger may be put off by the price.

Obafemi Martins reportedly has a £13 million pound release clause in his contract at Newcastle, as does strike partner Michael Owen (of £9 million pounds). Martins is a player of blistering pace and has a powerful shot. Wenger has first hand experience of the player, who as a rough 18 year old teenager single-handedly tore apart Arsenal’s defense at home to Inter in 2003. There are doubts about his age (he is thought to be 23), as there are with a number of African players, who lie in the hope of breaking from a life of poverty.

There is also the unlikely Samuel Eto’o (who maintains that his future lies at Barcelona and that he was looking forward to playing with Henry at the Camp Nou. If there was any hope of him coming in what in a swap deal for Henry), Adriano (mooted in a swap deal for Henry and also his motivational problems are also a dilemma), David Trezeguet (thought to be brought in to appease to Henry’s demands for a world-class striker and now his loss of form, and more static movement makes him a inadequate buy, as his day was three years ago) and Dimitar Berbatov (this is impossible but Arsenal fans can only dream that the player will switch from the white of Tottenham to the red and white of Arsenal). A final mention to a possible return of Nicolas Anelka, who is now a reformed character but Wenger has never resigned a former player and also Diego Milito, who seems destined for Zaragoza.

Finally I ask you to trust in Wenger, who without doubt already has a replacement lined up. There is no one bigger than the club and we will prove that once more.