George Walker
Rumours that TH14 will return for a second January loan are swirling about and I fear that this time, the move may not work as planned.
Thierry Henry was, is and always will be my one and only footballing idol. His every touch beamed with pure class and he was a pacy, skilful, precise, infallible goal-scoring machine. He is without any doubt the best player I have seen wear the famous red and white of The Arsenal. He provided me with one of the best moments of my recent Arsenal-supporting life, where I was fortunate enough to be only 3 rows back in the away end, when he netted the late winner at Sunderland, causing utter pandemonium for an utter genius. Understandably, ‘utter genius’ is also the way I would describe Le Boss’ inspired move to bring him back last January. But as far as I am concerned, bringing him back again would be anything but.
TH14 is regarded by most Gooners as the best player in Arsenal’s modern history, and most crucially a fan favourite. His status as a pure club legend was only reinforced by his fairytale return and immortalization in bronze outside the Grove. And after all the great moments Thierry has given us as Arsenal fans, I could not bear to see an older and ultimately less capable Thierry, returning and struggling to fulfil these memories, ever so slightly tainting his legendary status.
I believe his impact on the team, on and off the field would also be less potent than last season; as I simply cannot believe such perfectly scripted moments can ever be repeated. Would the story of Cinderella maintain its affect if the story was extended, so that she visited a second ball, with the same events occurring? The lift he seemed to give to the dressing room and all associated with the club last year was priceless, but surely the same impact would not be created with the same players and supporters in a similar situation?
How much he would actually add to the squad is also questionable. With Olivier Giroud currently leading the line exceptionally well, and with us possessing many talented wide players such as Theo, The Ox and Podolski, there is no way Thierry would make the starting XI. Having said this, there is no doubt that he is miles better than our current backup strikers who are currently Chamakh and Eboue-in-a-wig Gervinho (if he plays out of position). We do need reinforcements up front, but Thierry would only be a short term-fix and would not solve the issue. To solve this weakness in the squad we would be better to either a) grant Theo his long awaited move to the centre and sign another out-and-out winger or b) Sign a great prospect such as Wilfried Zaha, who would be willing to bide his time behind Giroud in the pecking order, whilst fine tuning his game and being able to operate as an impact sub or offer a good alternative to the Frenchman.
So please Thierry, we Gooners all loved your fairytale return last year. But please don’t tarnish those fond memories by attempting to repeat the same trick twice.
