Thierry Henry replies when asked if he could be next Arsenal manager
Thierry Henry replies when asked if he would like to take over as Arsenal manager from Arsene Wenger
Thierry Henry insisted that he would never shy away from a challenge when asked if he would like to be the next Arsenal manager.
Arsene Wenger has found himself under increasing pressure at The Emirates in recent weeks after his Gunners’ side stuttering form in all competitions.
The Frenchman watched the Gunners slump to yet another disappointing defeat on Sunday afternoon as they were beaten 2-1 by Brighton and Hove Albion in the top flight on the south coast.
That loss left Arsenal 13 points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur and further increased the pressure on Wenger at The Emirates.
Henry has naturally been touted as a possible candidate to take over from Wenger should the Frenchman leave the club any time soon.
And the Arsenal legend appeared to indicate that he would be willing to take over if he were to be called upon by his former employers.
Asked if he would be interested if a vacancy arose, Henry told Sky Sports on Sunday: “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.”
Meanwhile, Arsenal are now turning their attentions back towards Europa League affairs and the first leg of their crunch clash against AC Milan in Italy on Thursday night.
Winning the Europa League this season looks likely to be their best hope of qualifying for next season’s Champions League.
