Arsene Wenger has recently attested to Thierry Henry’s greatness. Arsene Wenger has suggested the old hero could even be a top player right now, even at 34 years of age, in the English Premiership. Now it has emerged that Per Mertesacker, the gigantic German defender, has said pretty much the same. Mertesacker has said that he has absolute confidence that Thierry Henry could still perform good things for Arsenal. After all, Mertesacker knows. He trains against Thierry Henry everyday at London Colney, Arsenal’s training ground.
Thierry Henry has been training with the Arsenal squad for the past month and according to witnesses he has been playing wonderfully. Fans who have caught a glimpse have claimed he is as good as ever and that the Arsenal defenders cannot take the ball off of him during practise sessions. This ought to come as no surprise to Thierry Henry fans. The Frenchman was always respected as a great trainer. What is surprising, however, is that he has maintained his level of skill despite being away from the top levels of the game, ie. La Liga or the English Premiership, for over a year now. The heightened levels of skill that the top players reach are usually refined and honed through hours upon hours of top level practise. Now, this is not to belittle the MLS, after all the American league is a top league in it’s own right, yet in Thierry Henry’s mind he will surely have considered playing for the New York Red Bulls to be a step down from playing for Barcelona in Spain. Accepting that he was going down a level ought, surely, to have affected his motivational levels, which then in turn ought to surely have affected his performance levels. Only, surprisingly, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
His return to Arsenal, if made permanent in the next few days, will only be a short term one. Perhaps for two months. It will allow the World Cup, European Championship, English Premiership, La Liga and Champions League winner the opportunity to help Arsenal’s cause, which consists entirely of FA Cup glory, Champions League ambition and achieving a place in the top four of the English Premiership come the seasons end. Thierry Henry has the ability to help, especially considering the burden currently resting on Robin Van Persie’s shoulders. Any help will currently be some help. Thierry Henry, Arsenal’s top goalscorer in the club’s esteemed history, will be free to compete in the Champions League as Arsenal aim for the quarter finals.
