The Widespread Impact of Thierry Henry's Move to Barcelona
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by Ea34
With the Thierry Henry transfer deal, Barça has not only added a world-class striker to an attacking corps that already boasts the likes of Ronaldinho, Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto’o, but it has done so at a significant discount. Thanks to an injury-plagued 2007 season, the £16 million ($32 million) fee that it took to bring Henry to the Nou Camp is slightly more than half the £30 million ($60 million) that it likely would have taken to acquire the Frenchman just a year ago.
Members of the FC Barcelona squad have acknowledged that the team was not in top form this season and have vowed to approach next season with greater dedication and resolve. While this alone might have been enough to signal improvement for next season, the addition of Henry could provide an added spark that will return the Catalan club to the top of world football. Following a disappointing season that saw them fail to advance deep into the Champion League and stumble down the stretch and lose the La Liga crown on the season’s last day to arch-rivals Real Madrid, management at Barcelona has taken initiative and sent this message to its supremely-gifted-but-sometimes-complacent team: We will not hesitate to do whatever it takes to field a championship team. Now, you do your part!
Thierry Henry’s much-speculated move of to Barcelona may just be the latest in a chain of events whose impact will be felt around the world of football. First, the sudden departure of former- Arsenal Vice Chairman David Dein, whom Henry respected and admired a great deal, calling Dein “Mr. Arsenal”, was a severe blow to Henry’s relationship with the club. Additionally, Arsene Wenger, Henry’s countryman and the only manager he’s known at Arsenal, as well as the coach that gave him his first big chance at the age of 15 at French club Monaco, does not have a contract beyond the upcoming season. Henry had been clear that in order to maintain his services, Arsenal would have to extend Wenger’s contract, which never happened. Most recently, Franck Ribery, Henry’s friend and teammate on the French national team, was transferred to Bayern Munich for £17.5 million ($35 million), despite both Henry and Wenger’s obvious interest in having Ribery join them at Arsenal.
For supporters of the club, the truly frightening thought is that, for all the collective damage that has already been done to the team, the worst may still lie ahead. Conceivably, Arsenal may have a mass exodus on its hands. In this scenario, here is a possible global domino effect:
- With Thierry Henry’s arrival, there will be an embarrassment of riches on the Barcelona frontline. This will likely lead to sale of one of Barça’s talented attackers. With Lionel Messi, Ronaldinho and Anderson Deco firmly entrenched in the lineup, and the club reportedly in pursuit of Rodrigo Palacio of Boca Juniors in Argentina, either Samuel Eto’o or Icelandic striker Eidur Gudjohnsen could be pushed out. Given his, relatively speaking, moderate salary, Gudjohnsen, who is a fine striker coming off of a disappointing season, is an ideal backup attacker for Barcelona. This leaves the young and very gifted Eto’o, who is prone to disagreements with teammates and club management, is the object of AC Milan 's desires, and has also expressed his admiration for Liverpool and the English Premier League. His sale would net upwards of £25 million ($50 million) on the open market, more than double what the sale of Gudjohnsen would fetch.
- In the wake of the departures of both Dein as well as Henry, it now appears less likely that Arsene Wenger will keep his post as Arsenal manager beyond the upcoming season, perhaps even following Henry to Barcelona, where manager Frank Rijkaard, despite repeated statements expressing his commitment to FC Barcelona, is the subject of persistent rumors suggesting that he may be the future manager of Italian giant AC Milan.
- Cesc Fabregas, Arsenal’s 20 year-old Spanish midfield playmaker, who left Barça’s youth system to join Arsenal, has openly stated that he would one day relish the opportunity to return to Barcelona, saying in a recent interview “I hope there is a chance to return (to Barça). People who know me already know this… There is always hope.” Following Henry’s move, Fabregas will likely be even more inclined to return to the Catalan club. In the same interview, Fabregas expressed his desire to continue playing with Thierry Henry saying, “If it was up to me, Henry and I would play together for the rest of our lives.” Despite being under contract with Arsenal through 2014 and public overtures from Spanish giants Real Madrid, the departures of his manager and most-talented teammate could hasten Cesc Fabregas’ return to Spain.
- Another Frenchman and friend of Thierry Henry, Arsenal defender William Gallas, who has also stated his desire for the club to be more competitive, is unlikely to be encouraged by this latest development. This could lead to Gallas request a transfer away from Arsenal, likely to a club in Spain (Barça or Real Madrid) or Italy ( Juventus, AC Milan or Inter-Milan).
- Swedish midfielder Freddie Ljungberg, now the Gunners’ longest tenured player, could also be nearing the end of his Arsenal days. As there had already been questions regarding his future with the club, Henry’s departure (and its possible fallout) may serve as the catalyst for his exit.
- Arsenal has developed a reputation for having a world-class youth system, so the Gunners’ cupboard is hardly bare, but Arsenal must now pragmatically assess its personnel and determine how drastic a move needs to be made to retool its frontline. With Robin Van Persie, Emmanuel Adebayor and teenage sensation Theo Walcott in attack, along with £7.5 million ($15 million) signing Eduardo da Silva (from Dinamo Zagreb), there is no shortage of talent for the Gunners, but the club is a bit short on experience and depth. Aside from this quartet, Arsenal’s only remaining striker is the talented, but young and inexperienced Nicklas Bedtner. More bodies will have to be introduced into the mix, both for insurance from injuries, as well as for added talent and experience.
- Should Arsenal look to the transfer market to replace Thierry Henry, their best options look to be either Newcastle’s Nigerian striker Obafemi Martins or Klaas-Jan Huntelaar of Ajax Amsterdam in the top Dutch league, each of whom will likely command an eight-figure transfer fee.
As for the scoring situation, I agree that there are some potentially big goal scorers already on the team, but RVP (whom I really like) is the only one that I have any faith in as being the kind of player that can be "the man".
Finally, on the subject of midfield scoring, you're absolutely right. Fabregas, Rosicky and Ljungberg (if he stays) MUST contribute more than the 5 combned goals they had last season.