Tom Martin
And so January begins, and with January come the transfer-window and the short-term return of our all-time top scorer and all-round legend, Thierry Henry. This seems to have generated a mixed reaction from Gooners, some feeling it will tarnish his reputation and others feeling that his return could galvanise the squad and that he still has something to contribute. Some think that second spells never work out but, in my time as a Gooner, I can think of four players who have returned for a second spell at the club and I should like to mention how they fared.
First up, there was Martin Keown. Having left the club at a young age, Keown was signed by Villa before going on to play for Everton and, during that time, he developed as a player to the point of being involved in the England squad. Signed at a time when George Graham had an obsession with stockpiling centre-backs (as opposed to a competent replacement for Rocastle), it took a couple of years for Keown to endear himself to fans, mainly because he struggled when Graham attempted to play him in midfield. As ridiculous at it seems now, I distinctly remember fans booing his name when it was read out on the PA circa '94-'95. If you were one of those fans who booed him and you're reading this now, I can only imagine how sheepish you must feel. And maybe you realise that even good players can play crap when played out of position (Arshavin being a prime example in the current squad). After improving under Rioch, he blossomed under Wenger and the rest is history. So, all in all, his second spell is rightfully considered a success.
In 1996, shortly before he was sacked, Rioch re-signed John Lukic on a free from Leeds. A fans’ favourite during his first spell at Highbury, Lukic was offloaded after the arrival of Seaman and went for a second spell at Leeds, winning another title and playing as their first-choice keeper until Nigel Martyn arrived. He was getting on a bit when he returned, and was only ever going to be back-up to Seaman. When called upon, he did a good job deputising for Big Dave and set a then-Champions League record in 2000. Whilst not a lot was expected of him when he returned, he did have his moments during his second spell, and was by and large a competent deputy, especially when you consider the other option was the mighty Vince Bartram.
14 years later, and Wenger had established a reputation for not looking back when it came to re-signing players, with only Vieira coming close to re-signing in the summer of '09. I was hoping for Paddy to return, although, when it didn't materialise, I wasn't exactly heartbroken either. There may have been a few players over the years who wished that Arsène had re-signed them (Merson, Petit, etc) but he was seemingly insistent on his stance. So it came as a real shock to me when he re-signed Sol Campbell on a temporary basis, especially given the circumstances of his departure and everything that went on in his final season. That said, Wenger no longer trusted Senderos, and the sight of Silvestre in an Arsenal shirt made me ill, so Campbell was the preferable option, even if he had walked out on Notts County and was without a club. And whilst he couldn't play every game, he did OK when required to fill in and partially redeemed his reputation after the events of '05-'06.
And then last year, in the midst of a goalkeeping crisis (the main crisis being that most of the goalkeepers bar Szczesny were not very good/injured/out on loan) Wenger coaxed Mad Jens out of retirement. With the imminent threat of having to play Almunia looming large, it goes to show the old cliché that desperate times do indeed call for desperate measures. Whilst he spent most of the time on the bench, like Lukic, he did well enough when called upon. And whatever you may have to say about Lehmann, it was great to see him give the defence the much-needed hairdryer treatment that they were never going to get from Arsène.
So overall, returning players haven't fared too badly at Arsenal, with Keown’s second spell being the most fruitful and Lukic, Campbell and Lehmann doing nothing to hurt their previous reputations. If anything, the Campbell and Lehmann signings show that for all his faults in recent years (and there have been a few), Wenger can still prolong the careers of ageing players. Having done so with Dixon, Adams, Bould, Winterburn, Keown, Bergkamp, etc, he turned his back on that talent when he started the youth/vanity project.
Obviously the MLS is a less challenging league, on a par with League One/Championship at best, but if Sol managed to make the step-up from that level and if Giggity Giggs can learn to adapt his game at United and still make a contribution to the side, then Henry has every chance of doing the same. The truth is, we're going to struggle to buy a decent forward (especially one who would be willing to play only when Van Persie's injured or rested) in the transfer window if last year's January window is anything to go by. Whilst Wenger does need to spend where it's needed, we're better off not wasting £35m on a player of Andy Carroll's ability but rather bringing in Henry as short-term back-up instead. He won't be the same player he was before, but like our last three prodigal sons, he shouldn't be expected to be.
