The reaction to his departure in the Arsenal dressing-room
is not as negative as you might believe. Just as Patrick Vieira,
Marc Overmars, Emmanuel Petit and Nicolas Anelka were shown the
door when Wenger was convinced they had served their time, so
Henry, it is claimed, has only been allowed to leave because the
manager decided the time was right.
Some sources even claim Wenger feared that his younger players
might be intimidated by the presence of a man of Henry's superstar
status. In public, Wenger will remain respectful when he speaks for
the first time about the transfer tomorrow and acknowledges the
huge contribution Henry has made to the club, a period in which the
Frenchman won two Premiership titles, the FA Cup twice and appeared
in Champions League and UEFA Cup finals.
But in the privacy of the London Colney training ground and in the
dressingroom at the Emirates Stadium, several sources testify that
Wenger has made what he regards as a strategic decision. Henry's
presence, it is alleged, had become an unstable influence, with
young players fearful of not being able to match his standards. As
a result, the team atmosphere was said to be, at times,
extraordinarily tense.
A few, such as Robin van Persie, could be seen talking back during
games. But many of the youngsters seemed to have become inhibited
in their play. Just as Sir Alex Ferguson recently admitted that Roy
Keane's departure allowed Cristiano Ronaldo to thrive, so Wenger is
said to hope that losing Henry may permit youth to blossom.
Last November, Wenger admitted publicly that sometimes Henry could
be too aggressive in his treatment of young team-mates and that he
had to calm down. But there was little improvement and Henry's
season was then marred by groin and stomach injuries. It appears
that Wenger decided as early as February, when he declined to use
Henry for the 2-1 defeat in the Carling Cup final against Chelsea,
that if a renewed offer came from Barcelona, he would consider it.
His judgment may yet be proved wrong but there is no doubt that
Wenger,who led negotiations with Barca's finance director, Ferran
Soriano, drove a deal which will be sealed after tomorrow's
medical.
The manager's long-term future remains unclear, as is that of a
club which is being stalked by US tycoon Stan Kroenke, who owns
12.19 per cent of Arsenal and whose interest precipitated the
boardroom rift that prompted Dein's departure. For now, though,
Wenger is master of all he surveys at the plush but costly Emirates
Stadium and he will remain next season. His new contract is
unlikely to be signed until the autumn, by which stage he may have
a better idea of the club's future. A recent meeting between
Kroenke and his initially hostile boardroom adversaries, chairman
Peter Hill-Wood and managing director Keith Edelman, van Persie and
Emmanuel Adebayor as the only two proven strikers.
Arsenal have lined up two potential replacements to fill the gap
Henry leaves and hope to be able to announce the signings in the
next two weeks. One is an experienced striker, to shoulder some
responsibility for the young squad Wenger is developing, the other
a younger forward less well known in England.
Barcelona £39 Samuel Eto £39 would be first choice Wenger has in
the past gone out of his way to praise the Cameroon striker but
Barca, for now, are not interested. Juventus's David Trezeguet is
available and would fit the bill but Atletico Madrid's Fernando
Torres would not. The club regard the Spaniard as too expensive at
£30m, and no better than their own youngsters.
Lyon's Florent Malouda, available for £15m, is a potential target.
He is primarily a left winger, but so was Henry when he joined
Arsenal eight years ago.
