ARSENE WENGER snubbed four offers from Barcelona for
Thierry Henry before selling his star striker.
The Spaniards insist it was only Henrys determination to leave
Arsenal which forced Wenger to change his mind.
Barca financial director Ferran Soriano has lifted the lid on the
extraordinary series of events which saw Henry move to the Nou
Camp.
Soriano insists it was Henry who made the first contact and Wenger
was bitterly opposed to the £16million deal.
And Soriano has published his diary to show Henry did all the
running.
The hitman, 29, was increasingly frustrated by the Gunners failure
to challenge Manchester United and Chelsea for the Premier League
title.
And he could see no end to the decline after Wenger said he was
looking for only one or two new players this summer.
But the final straw for the French striker came when vice-chairman
David Dein left after a bitter boardroom war.
Within two weeks of Deins departure, Henry knew it was also time
for him to quit and that he made a huge mistake rejecting a move
to Barca last summer and committing the rest of his career to
Arsenal.
Here Soriano shows how the deal unfolded:
EARLY MAY: Henry sends a message that he is interested in
coming.
Wenger will not sell but we arrange to meet at Champions League
final.
MAY 24: At a meeting between Wenger and Barca director Txiki
Begiristain, Wenger insists Henry is unsure if he wants to stay but
Arsenal will not sell.
But in the next weeks Henry tells Wenger his wish is to join
us.
JUNE 18: A three-hour meeting at Wengers house ends in failure. We
offer £12m, they want £24m.
JUNE 21: New offer is rejected. At 11pm there is a proposition
which Arsenal find acceptable. At 1am our lawyer sends a concrete
offer.
JUNE 22: Deal agreed by 1pm but contract is not complete. We are
allowed to meet Henry.
I realise how much he wants to sign for us. He was excited like a
little boy, not like a big star.
JUNE 23-25: Lawyers sort out all contracts. On June 25 Henry is a
Barca player.
Many times I thought the deal was done and many times I thought we
would never sign him. In the end, we did it.