BEIJING, May 30 (Reuters) - Arsenal striker Thierry Henry is fed up
with finishing fourth in the English Premier League and thinks the
club needs a more experienced squad if they are to challenge
Manchester United and Chelsea.
The 29-year-old Frenchman refused to discuss reports that he could
soon be leaving for Barcelona but was less than passionate when
talking about his commitment to the club he joined in 1999.
"Since I started playing football, there's been speculation about
me going to a lot of clubs so that will never stop," Henry, who
signed a new four-year deal with Arsenal last May, told a news
conference in the Chinese capital on Wednesday.
"As I said last week, for now I'm an Arsenal player."
Henry missed much of last season with injury and Arsenal finished
fourth for a second year in a row, 23 points behind champions
Manchester United.
"This year it was pretty difficult to see once again that we
finished so far behind the top teams," he said.
"It's been a long time that it's been the same top four. I'm
actually getting annoyed that we're finishing at the end of the top
four."
Henry, in Beijing on a promotional tour for sporting goods
manufacturer Reebok, contrasted the current Arsenal team with the
side that won the title without losing a match in 2004.
"I've been in the side who stayed unbeaten a whole season, so I do
know what it takes to win the league," he said.
"Sometimes having a lot of youngsters in your squad you cannot have
the same spirit or the same result that you had the year we stayed
unbeaten.
"We had guys who had been in the game for 15 or 10 years and who
had won a lot of stuff.
"You know, winning is very difficult, you don't just arrive there.
I was not, and am still not, a finished product, but I certainly
wasn't a finished product at 20."
Henry said he did not know what plans there were for strengthening
the squad this summer.
"Talking about resources, it's out of my hands, it's not what I do
at the club," he said.
"The only thing I would like to say is that it has to happen from
the pitch.
"There's a lot of stuff happened in the club recently, maybe it has
to start again and fresher."
Even the skipper is pissed off with little experienced
players. yeah AW,ur fav Boy wants more experience and quality
players!! *chants ribery*
