Arsenal legend Thierry Henry is arguably the greatest player in the history of the club, and fans were heartbroken when he left in 2007.
Henry made a move which countless others over the years have done, by trading Arsenal for Barcelona.
Whilst he did not hit the same glorious heights in La Liga in terms of individual performance, he won several trophies including the Champions League under Pep Guardiola.
At the time of his departure, the legendary striker had just one year left on his deal, but was untouchable in the eyes of Arsenal fans as someone who had scored over 200 goals for the club. Nevertheless, he made the move one year after the Gunners had left Highbury for the Emirates Stadium.
Former defender Gael Clichy has now stated that he understands why Henry chose to depart Arsenal, who were undergoing a youthful project at the time with funds limited after building the Emirates.
Gael Clichy explains Thierry Henry Arsenal exit
Clichy told the Coaches Voice how Arsene Wenger had expressed confidence in him as a youthful player coming into an experienced team, and highlighted that whilst this was very beneficial to developing young stars, it meant that experienced winners such as Henry may not have been keen on losing out on silverware to bed in young players.
“Look at Thierry Henry. When he left for Barcelona in 2007, he had been playing with some amazing, talented young players at Arsenal. But now I can see why he wanted to leave. The group we had was not ready to give him what he wanted, which at the time was the Champions League. So he went to Barcelona, and won the Champions League,” Clichy explained.
“It’s also not fair on the young players, because you don’t want them to feel that they have to perform to be called a success. You need them to give a lot, but let them develop in time.
“When I think about those words Wenger gave me after my first game, back then I wasn’t ready to understand it. Now, as a coach, I do.”
Thierry Henry left Arsenal at the right time
Arsenal were a young team in transition moving on from the Invincibles when Henry departed. Arsenal actually improved the season after he left, with Emmanuel Adebayor and Eduardo leading the line with the Gunners flying high until the Croatian picked up a nasty injury to derail their title challenge.
Henry had won multiple Premier League and FA Cup titles at Arsenal and had immortalised himself in club history.
With Arsenal struggling to compete financially after the stadium move, and Henry ageing, it was the best time for him to join another top club to win major honours, whilst Arsenal could move on from their talisman to progress as a team.
Arsenal’s young side played sensational football with the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Tomas Rosicky, and remained competitive at the top, but perhaps underachieved in terms of trophies.
Irrespective of this, there are some sales which Wenger and Arsenal may regret, but losing Henry at that point in time is not one which caused significant damage despite his legendary status and quality.
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