Theo Walcott says Arsenal had a £3m striker who was even better than Thierry Henry at finishing

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Thierry Henry is arguably the greatest player in the history of Arsenal.

The legendary Frenchman joined the Gunners from Juventus in 1999, and although it took him some time to score his first goal, he became unstoppable once he found the net.

Henry is Arsenal’s record goalscorer and he scored some truly incredible goals. His finishing – from inside the box and outside – was simply sensational.

Theo Walcott wasn’t a bad finisher himself, but he has now revealed that there was one player at Arsenal whose finishing was even better than Henry’s.

Theo Walcott says Robin van Persie was a better finisher than Arsenal legend Thierry Henry

Arsenal signed Robin van Persie from Feyenoord for just £3 million in 2004 (BBC).

The Dutchman was only 20 years old at the time, but Arsene Wenger saw something that convinced him that Van Persie would be a great player.

The former Netherlands international spent eight years at Arsenal. He played 278 games, scored 132 goals and provided 52 assists in all competitions.

Injuries often troubled Van Persie, but when he was fit, he was outstanding. His ability on the ball was great, his passing and vision were very good too, but it was his finishing that made him an elite striker.

If you go up to an Arsenal fan and ask them to name the best finisher in the history of the club, almost everyone will name Henry.

Walcott, however, thinks it’s Van Persie.

He told BBC Sport: “The best finisher, for me, would be Robin van Persie. That left foot was genuinely a wand. Surprisingly not Thierry Henry, so yeah, Robin van Persie.”

READ MORE: Arsenal all-time top 10 record goalscorers, including Thierry Henry and Robin van Persie

What is Robin van Persie doing now?

Van Persie announced his retirement from professional football in July 2019 and has focused on coaching since.

After multiple different roles at Feyenoord, the Dutchman was offered to become the manager of Eredivisie side Heerenveen in July this summer.

Van Persie’s side are currently 15th in the league table after picking up just eight points in as many games. He has lost half of those fixtures so far – the biggest one was a humiliating 9-1 defeat to AZ Alkmaar in September.

The lowest Heerenveen have finished since the turn of the century is 13th. So, if Van Persie doesn’t improve his side in the coming months, it is likely that he will be sacked.