Thierry Henry departure from Arsenal positive for the club?

Henry is flying to Barcelona to finalize his new £16 million contract ready to join the club of his dreams.

Thierry Henry departure from Arsenal positive for the club? The deal is moving in its final stages, with Henry taking his medical exam on Monday to join FC Barcelona, leaving Arsenal due to David Dein's departure and Arsene Wenger's inability to commit to a new contract. Thierry Henry has been offered a Nou Camp contract before, but has turned it down in the past.

According to the player, David Dein was the link between the players and the upper management of the club, and now that he is gone, the French footballer decided it was time for him to leave, as well.

But according to rumours in the British press, Henry's departure from the Gunners has a silver lining. Some claim that Wenger believes that Henry has been an intimidating figure for the young players of Arsenal, and that it was a strategic decision by the manager to let Thierry Henry go to FC Barcelona.

Last year Wenger admitted publicly that sometimes Henry could be too aggressive in his treatment of young team-mates and that he had to calm down. Sir Alex Ferguson recently admitted that Roy Keane's departure allowed Cristiano Ronaldo to thrive, and maybe Henry moving to Spain will allow some new talents to bloom at the Emirates Stadium. Some say that fearful of not being able to match the class of Henry, many young players have become inhibited in their play, leading to rising tensions in Arsenal's locker-room.

Published on 06/24/2007