Posts Tagged ‘thierry henry’

features, Football

Henry? Laudrup? Klopp? Who will be the next Arsenal manager?

By Stefano on April 30th, 2013
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Ok, so he might not go this summer (but then he might) but Arsene Wenger can’t go on forever and Arsenal will soon have to address the issue of finding a new manager.

On one level Arsenal are still a pretty attractive club to manage – nice stadium, stable-ish board, probability of Champions League football – they tick a lot of boxes.

But the last couple of season have seem them slip down the list of Europe’s elite clubs and they can’t be quite as picky as they once were.

The manager that the fans dreamt of, Pep Guardiola, will soon be ensconced in Bayern Munich snapping up players like Gotze who Wenger would have loved to have bought. And as for Jose, the bonkers Portuguese genius is probably on his way back to Chelsea.

So with a lot of the big names out of the frame who else is there who could take over at The Emirates if Wenger does take the Eurostar and exit this (or next) summer.

1 David Moyes - The Scotsman would be an obvious contender. He is ready to make the move to a bigger club and might not get a better opportunity than Arsenal. He has worked wonders in creating teams for next to no cash- something that will appeal to the Arsenal board – and tactically he is very sound. He is not the dream manager that some of the fans want, but he could become an Arsenal legend (the new George Graham) if things go well. If things go badly though he could find himself as the new Bruce Rioch- out on his ear after a year.

2 Michael Laudrup – In my book the Dane could well be favourite. He might have committed to Swansea, but I think if the job were offered him (with Champions League football if Arsenal qualify) he would take it. He would be a hit with the fans and the type of football his team play is fairly similar to Arsenal. He also has the advantage of possibly bringing his captain Ashley Williams and star striker Michu with him.

3 Jürgen Klopp - Klopp may decide that in taking Dortmund to a Champions League final he has gone as far as he can. He has already lost Gotze to Bayern and several other star Dortmund players could be heading for the exit too. Arsenal would a be a real challenge for the young, ambitious and articulate German. Again he could bring some prize assets with him too – Lewandowski?

4 Joachim Löw – The current German manager might fancy a return to club football and Arsenal would be a good fit for a boss whose teams play fast attacking, fluid football.

5 Thierry Henry – The very long shot. But the fans would welcome his return, he is very popular with the players and he loves both London and Arsenal. He has some pretty amazing contacts too. Maybe the club could appoint a director of football to work with him in the short term too. Stranger things have happened.



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Football

Arsenal update: Henry wants to come back, Fabregas not so sure

By Stefano on February 14th, 2013
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Arsenal’s talismanic French man is apparently keen on a third stint at the club. At a press conference this week he reiterated his desire to be involved with Arsenal in any role

Henry said

‘All I know is that I will be involved in the game for sure and hopefully be involved with Arsenal because that is the heart talking there, that’s the team that I support. Forget about me as a player, that’s the team I support.

‘In any type or shape, if I can go back to the club I would love to do it, but it’s not up to me. That would be a desire, more a desire than something that can be officialised, I still have two years playing here and then I will see.

‘But I would definitely love to be back with Arsenal.

Henry was also dismissive of Arsenal fans who have been critical of Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger this season.

‘For me, it is difficult to hear, difficult to see, but for me the boss will always be Arsene – always great for me and I know what he has done for the club,” he said.

From this point it is hard to see exactly where in the Emirates management structure he would fit. But many Arsenal fans would love the idea of their favourite son returning possinbly as a manager in waiting under Arsene Wenger’s tutelage.

One player who won’t be returning any time soon is Barcelona’s midfielder Cesc Fabregas. The Spaniard has been to several of Arsenal’s home games this season and watches each game on television. There were rumours that he might even be considering a loan move back to his old club.

Wenger also said last year

“I’m not convinced Fabregas won’t come back here one day. He’s an Arsenal man. He loves Arsenal. He watches every Arsenal game. Barcelona was his home town where he grew up and you have to accept this, especially as Barcelona are the best team in the world.

“He won’t return in the next two or three years but, after that, maybe.”

However Fabregas has underlined his desire to stay at Barcelona.

He told Spanish paper El Mundo Deportivo:

“I went back to Barcelona to stay forever, if possible. I fight with all my might to stay here as long as possible. I’ve already lived experiences abroad and I have done well.”

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Football

Arsenal say no to Henry and Sneijder, but new signings on their way

By Stefano on January 2nd, 2013
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In today’s least surprising news Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has confirmed that Thierry Henry won’t be returning for a third spell at the club. Arsenal have also ruled themselves out of the race to sign Dutch front man Wesley Sneijder, but Wenger insists that the club will make signings in the window.

Henry has been training with the club in the last month and there was possibility that he would repeat his loan spell of last year which saw him score twice for the club. However when quizzed about a deal Arsene Wenger told the press.

“He is not ready, he has just come back from holiday anyway. At the moment we are not on that case.”

Meanwhile The Sun is reporting that Arsenal (and Chelsea) have passed up on the chance to sign Inter Milan’s Wesley Sneijder even though he is being offered as a free transfer. Both teams are scared off by his wage demands. He currently earns £200k a week in Italy.

Finally Wenger has reiterated that he is looking to buy players in the window.

He said -

“I will be active, yes. Will I be concrete? I hope so. We are looking everywhere, we are open-minded. We want to strengthen the squad if possible if we find the right players.”



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Football

Usmanov buys more Arsenal shares. Is he a planning a January coup?

By Stefano on December 21st, 2012
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There’s plenty of Arsenal news this morning with more speculation about the possible arrival of Demba Ba, the fight for Stoppila Sunzu and the latest twists in Theo Walcott’s contract saga but this biggest story might just be this one which has been highlighted by the always superb Angry Of Islington.

The blogger reports that Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov has been buying more shares in the club and may soon be in a position to challenge the majority shareholder Stan Kroenke for ownership. This has been confirmed by The Guardian, which quotes a CNBC interview that says that he already has 30% of Arsenal’s shares.

Angry says

Arsenal.com yesterday updated the published share position for the two major shareholders to show that Alisher Usmanov’s Red & White Holdings now have a total of 18,637 shares. This is ten more than they had last time the figure was updated on 5 December, and leaves them exactly 29 short of the 18,666 needed for 30 per cent of Arsenal.

So it seems that Usmanov has been quietly buying shares in a bid to continue his takeover of the club.

The implications of this are potentially huge for Arsenal. At most clubs 30% ownership would trigger a compulsory full takeover bid which it did for Stan Kroenke with Arsenal in 2011. However as Angry points out this would not be the case at Arsenal.

The buying of shares would largely be symbolic and Kroenke’s position unaffected, but they would mean concerted pressure would be put on the existing board, and by dint of his association with them, the manager Arsene Wenger.

Usmanov has been very active around Arsenal of late, building relationships with Thierry Henry while criticising Wenger for selling Van Persie. He also told CNBC that he dreams of owning the club. If Arsenal’s poor form continues and they don’t make any significant purchases in the winter (and Wenger told the BBC yesterday that this was a possibility) Usmanov could attempt a coup at the club, even though Kroenke could in theory easily ignore it.

What might change everything is if the fans get behind Usmanov, who also has a strong relationship with former supporters favourite David Dein, and we start to see ‘Kroenke out’ and ‘sack the board’ banners at The Emirates.

You get the feeling that this one is going to run and run.

Arsenal special: Is Wenger right to build the new Arsenal around British players?



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Accessories, Football

Houllier tells French TV Thierry Henry might not be going to Arsenal – no contact between the clubs

By Stefano on December 17th, 2012
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More problems for Arsene Wenger this morning. It seemed as if Arsenal’s greatest ever striker, Thierry Henry, was destined to return to the club for a third spell this winter. Many papers have suggested that this is a done deal and that Henry would be at the club for several weeks and could even play for The Gunners in the Champions league.

However if Arsene Wenger does want the 35 year old in his squad he needs to get a bit of a move on.

For Gerald Houllier who is New York Red Bull’s Head of Global Soccer, told French TV network Canal+ that there has been no contact between the two clubs.

“I find it strange what we hear in the media. If Arsene needed him, he would have called me or (sporting director) Andy Roxburgh, but this is not the case. I do not think both parties need to have this second comeback. Moreover he has become a dad again. I think he will appreciate this truce. ”

So is Henry coming. Do Arsenal need him? Might this be a cameo too far?

Image – PA



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Football

Thierry Henry back at The Emirates – but will he be as useful this time?

By Stefano on December 6th, 2012
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There’s no official word yet, but it seems certain that Arsenal legend Thierry Henry will back in north London in January with a loan move that will run until at least mid-February – long enough for him to star in the next round of Champions League games.

So what do you think? Is this another inspired move by Arsenal? A lifesaver that might kickstart  their faltering season?

On the positive side Henry did make a significant difference last time round. He scored within ten minutes of coming on as sub against Leeds United and added a Premier League winner against Sunderland. He provided a welcome sideshow for the Gunners at a time when their key targets – the Premiership and Champions League - were disappearing from view.

Also Henry maybe a year older but he still seems very fit and he has also enjoyed an Indian Summer at the Bulls this year in scoring 15 times and providing 12 assists in 25 appearances.

However there is a world of difference between the MLS and the Premiership and I wonder if Henry’s return might not be so sweet this time round.

Arsenal are in dire straits. Since the departure of Robin Van Persie, they have looked very flaccid going forward  Olivier Giroud’s goals have helped convince the fans that he is more than a makeweight for Nicholas Bendtner, but without him Arsenal seem to have few potent striking options. The situation will get worse in 2013 to with Gervinho off to the African Cup.

So Henry might find his services are required a great deal more than last time.

Secondly the fans humour is unlikely to be much improved if  the Henry deal is done, but no new strikers – Huntelaar or Ba – appear at the Emirates. The fans were lead to believe by the club that the signings of Giroud and Podoslski were an attempt to strengthen the squad not just give it players who, while great in their own right, are clearly not in the same league as the talismanic Dutch striker.

Thirdly isn’t Henry’s arrival just going to be another distraction  Sure his wealth of experience and winning attitide is sure to help inspire some of the Arsenal youngsters, but the team needs to massively focus on the premiership, and I believe the Capital One cup, and the presence of the Frenchman could prove to be a sideshow too far. Surely Wenger needs to be  not signing the old Henry but finding the new one. I do worry that if things don’t go well Henry could become tainted by the general dis-satisfaction from the fans that is focusing on both Wenger and the board.

If he is coming, then I think Henry’s key role could come in the Champions League. Unlike Huntelaar he would be cleared to play and if thrown on with half an hour to go he could have a very real impact.

So what do you think. Is it great to have Henry back? Or should we relish the memory of last year and think about the future?

 



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Advertorial, Sport, Sports

Who are the main challengers for the Champions League?

By shinychris on September 4th, 2012
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With the qualifying rounds already well under way, the buzz for the return of the Champions League is starting to build and it won’t be long until the group stage draw is upon us. Last season’s victors
Chelsea will be keen to get going, as will clubs such as Real Madrid, Manchester City and Manchester United who failed to make much of an impact last time out.

Big money has been spent this summer and plenty of United, City, Chelsea and Arsenal transfer news is still on-going in an attempt to make them the strongest of the English challengers for the European trophy. Chelsea and Arsenal have made some big signings in the close season and exciting talent such as Santi Cazorla, Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski will give them the confidence that they can make their mark on the competition when the draw is made. United and City started the season as favourites for the Premier League title and they will also be right up there in the betting when it comes to the Champions League. Having both been knocked out at the group stage last season, the competition will certainly be high on their priorities and you could do a lot worse than to predict that either one of these two Manchester clubs will make the final at Wembley, next May.

All four English clubs are expected to do well and it is the first time for years that all four will genuinely believe they can win the trophy. The main threat to the English teams will once again come from Spain, as Barcelona and Real Madrid will look to improve on their semi-final defeats last season. Barcelona have a new manager but very little will change for the Catalan club as Lionel Messi and co. will be the early favourites to take the cup. Real Madrid are already under pressure in the league and they may see the Champions League as a welcome distraction when the group stages start, but Mourinho will be desperate to win the trophy with a third different club.

Aside from the usual suspects you can’t ignore last season’s finalists Bayern Munich, who probably feel they deserved to win the trophy before losing on penalties on their own patch. The Germans will definitely be a threat, but surprised a few last season by making it to the final and would be some way down my pecking order when selecting a pre-tournament winner.

Big spending PSG would like to think they have a chance, but like Manchester City last season, it may not be the right time or place and their main success will be in years to come. It is certainly the closest Champions League to call for a while and any side who makes it through the group stage will fancy their chances.

 

 

 



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Heroes and Celebrities, News

Thierry Henry steps out in New York

By admin on July 3rd, 2008
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thierry henry shopping new york.jpg I almost didn’t recognise Thierry Henry in this picture, gone is the footballer’s Gallic chic style which has been replaced by an altogether more ‘street’ (whatever that means) look.

We’re more used to seeing him in sharp suits like when he launched a capsule collection with Tommy Hilfiger late last year. The French aren’t known for their sartorial grasp on casualwear but I like his New York look. Although the jeans would look better either tighter or baggier and I’d ditch the dodgy belt altogether the trainers and t-shirt are pretty cool. All he needs is a few accessories to set off the tie print tee but the matching red sunnies are a nice touch.

What do you think, do you prefer our Tel in casual or smarter looks?

[Images: Rex Features]



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