It didn’t take him long, did it? Ten minutes into his return to the Emirates and Thierry Henry had already made the headlines, notching the only goal in a 1-0 FA Cup Third Round win over Leeds and helping Arsene Wenger to his 300th home win as Arsenal boss…
Back at the North London outfit on a short-term loan deal, the former Gunners skipper is due to stay until the end of February, meaning he will be available for six league games before returning to parent club New York Red Bulls.
As both Marouane Chamakh and Gervinho depart for the African Cup of Nations, Wenger’s forward options have been restricted over the next few weeks, with the final of the tournament taking place on the weekend of gameweek 25. With Arsenal also facing FA Cup and Champions League duties, Henry has already highlighted how integral he could be to their fortunes over the next couple of months.
The Statistics
Arsenal’s all-time record scorer, now with 227 goals, Henry bagged 174 in the league from a total of 254 appearances, also providing 77 assists. Following his move to Barcelona, his first couple of campaigns at the Nou Camp saw him continue to rack up the goals, with 31 in 59 games in addition to 17 assists, though a disappointing third, and final, season saw Henry cut a peripheral figure- with many of his appearances from the subs bench, he netted just 4 times in 21 games.
His first campaign in the MLS was considerably patchy. Henry played 11 times, grabbing only 2 goals for the New York Red Bulls but has returned to goalscoring ways in the season gone by. Over 26 games, the Frenchman scored 14 times and provided 4 assists.
The Prospects
After a dismal start to the campaign, Arsenal sit just a single point off fourth place as the new summer acquisitions click into place. As Wenger chases a Champions League place for the fifteenth successive season, Henry offers plenty Premier League experience in comparison to the likes of Chu Young-Park and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. With Andrei Arshavin afforded two starts since gameweek 5, it’s fair to say the Russian has done little to impress Wenger this term. A front three of Robin Van Persie, flanked by the guile and craft of Henry and the explosive pace of Theo Walcott, makes for an intriguing Arsenal front three.
As mentioned, given that Henry is available until the end of February, the six games he is eligible for are (swa, MUN, bol, BLA, sun, TOT). The first league game Gervinho and Chamakh could be available for –providing their respective national teams are eliminated at the group stages- would be the gameweek 24 match at home to Blackburn. If they progress as far as the final or third-place play-off, though, the pair will both be back for the last of those fixtures, a home clash against Spurs.
Henry has admitted today he lacks fitness, though, and is “nowhere near a 90 minute game“. Regardless, you’d expect he will have some involvement in all six, with that showdown against Harry Redknapp’s side offering the perfect chance to sign off in style. If Monday night is anything to go by, you get the feeling that the script is already written for Henry to make a significant impact before he says his goodbyes for a second time.
