Arsene Wenger’s future at Arsenal has been thrown into further doubt following Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to Brighton, which has led to immense speculation on a potential replacement for the 68-year-old Frenchman.
A number of experienced managers are being linked with the position at the Emirates Stadium but one name that continues to do the rounds is that of Arsenal legend Thierry Henry, who is open to a return to north London.
The Gunners all-time leading goalscorer left a coaching role at Arsenal last season after Wenger informed him he couldn’t hold that position and remain a pundit with Sky Sports, with the World Cup winner now an assistant coach to Belgium boss Roberto Martinez.
However, when quizzed about whether he’d take the managerial role if approached by Arsenal, Henry left the door open for a sensational return to his former hunting ground. Speaking to Sky Sports, he said:
“Listen, I’m a competitor, you don’t back down from a challenge. We are hypothetically speaking before people jump ahead of everything, [but] I have never backed down from a challenge since I was young.”
“If I had listened to people who were talking about where I was going to be, I would not have been here.”
“When I arrived at Arsenal, they said to me, ‘Why are you outside of the box, you will never score goals?’ with my position being on the left or whatever it was. You don’t back down from a challenge, you always think that you can.”
“When I came back to play for Arsenal, everybody, all my friends were saying, ‘It can only tarnish your legacy, why are you going back there?’.”
“If you love a place and they ask – I repeat, they ask – for help, you are always going to say yes. What I am saying to you is again, we are talking about hypothetical thoughts.”
