It’s still a telling sign of the times when, after being inundated with phone calls and emails from Tottenham fans, it’s because of bad news at Arsenal rather than anything good going on at White Hart Lane.
And bad news there was. There are few ways that Arsenal could have been weakened more after losing their talismanic, legendary striker. But having that striker then claim he left the club because their talismanic, legendary manager wouldn’t say for certain that he was extending his contract beyond 2008.
Gunnerblog has translated French rag L’Equipe, who are publishing quotes from Thierry about his upcoming move to Barcelona,
I still have to pass a medical on Monday. But yes, I have chosen Barcelona. I am going to sign there for the next four seasons … for the football they play, their history, their stadium. For Frank Rijkaard, who I grew up watching.
The fact that Arsene Wenger is not prolonging his contract (which ends in summer 2008) was another very important element to take into consideration.
The last part is of course the ear-raiser. But caution must be excercised as we’re doing with translation of a foreign language here, and all the nuances that come with that. Is Henry saying that Wenger definitely will not be renewing in 2008, or simply that he will not commit one way or another at this time – creating an uncertainty that Henry can not afford as he enters the final few years of his career?
With David Dein booted out, talks of takeovers, a stadium still being paid off, Arsenal supporters better be praying that it’s the former. Because if Dein, Wenger, and Henry all leave in the space of a year then we’ll probably find out that while ‘no man is bigger than the club’, a whole bunch of them just might be.