Barcelona aim to reap rewards from Henry move
(Reuters)Updated: 2007-06-23 10:02
LONDON, June 22 - Barcelona's imminent signing of Arsenal's is set to add one of the most prolific forwards in world football to their already impressive attack.
A year after Henry turned down the Catalan club, following Arsenal's
defeat by them in the Champions League final in Paris, the popular France
striker this time is about to pack his bags.
Clearly unhappy at the abrupt departure in April of director David Dein over a row about U.S. investor Stan Kroenke, Henry's impending departure comes as a body blow to the club whose success was based on the French forward's prodigous talent.
Top scorer in four of the five Premier League seasons from 2001-2006 before being sidelined by injury last term, Henry has great pace, superb dribbling skills and a fearsome shot.
Along with being a cool finisher in the penalty area, Henry's big advantage over other top strikers such as Real Madrid's Ruud van Nistelrooy or AC Milan's Filippo Inzaghi is that he is also a superb goalmaker for his team mates.
If he can strike up a rapport with the likes of Samuel Eto'o, Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi at the Nou Camp, Barca will be a good bet to wrest the Primera Liga title back from Real.
WENGER'S PUPIL
Now 29, the accolades are a far cry from his time as a left winger at Juventus in 1999, an unhappy spell sandwiched between winning the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 with France.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who had overseen Henry's early development at Monaco, picked up on the unsettled mood of the striker and brought him from Turin to north London.
Under Wenger's tutelage, Henry switched from being a winger to an all-round central striker, transforming his club career.
Arsenal did the league and FA Cup Double in 2002, won the FA Cup in 2003, made history in the modern era by going unbeaten in another league triumph in 2004 and then lifted the FA Cup again in 2005, though Henry missed that final through injury.
Arsenal's disappointment over the defeat by Barca in Paris was soon tempered by Henry pledging his future to the club, saying: "This is my last contract. It is where I belong."
Now Barca will be hoping Henry can lead their campaign to regain the La Liga title and secure the only major honour missing from his own CV -- a Champions League winners' medal.
| ||
|
||
|
||
|
|