Henry to Real Madrid?

 Henry will be almost 29 next summer; this is almost at the stage that Wenger is reluctant to sign players for more than a year. For Henry this could well be the last major contract of his glittering career. By then he will already be Arsenal's all-time leading scorer, it is hardly surprising that he will want to think long and hard about the contract he signs. He will also want to think about the prospects, and the future of the club he is signing for. It is not just about money it is also about trophies, and he will want to know that the club has a squad that is a serious contender for all major trophies.

Fans should not assume that this means he intends to leave, nor can we assume that he will stay, nobody likes such uncertainty but we are going to have to live with it. On the plus side we know that Henry is settled in London with an English wife and child. He loves the set up at Arsenal, and he is grateful to Wenger for saving his career from the stagnation of Italy. He is also grateful to the way the Arsenal fans stood by him when he was struggling to make his mark in the Premiership. It is common to moan about Arsenal fans, but it is often forgotten how good-hearted they are to their players. Even when Reyes was tricked into saying he wanted to go to Real Madrid the fans continued to encourage him and cheer him on. Only a minority have jeered Ashley Cole, and only a few jeered at the returning Pennant, it is rare to find such good-natured and forgiving fans.

Wenger believes Henry will stay, and so does Nigel Winterburn who also believes that Thierry is happy here. Wenger says he is happy to wait until the summer to discuss the contract and that he respects Henry's right to do that. He and Dein have also intimated that they will do everything they can to persuade him to stay, and no doubt the immediacy of the new stadium will be an added incentive. Whoever leads that first team out onto the pitch at Ashburton Grove is guaranteed a place in Arsenal history.

So let's not jump to hasty conclusions, I remember just before the last double season Vieira was allegedly off to Real Madrid, or even Manchester United. Many Arsenal fans were convinced he would go, I argued at the time that he would not, and on that occasion I was right. The key to that was that Wenger was determined to keep him, and we went on to win the double. This time around Wenger was tired of Vieira's games and made little, if no effort, to persuade him to stay. Some think he even gave him a gentle nudge.

 I also remember the second season after we won the first double, that it was an open secret that Overmars would go to Barcelona. There was very little press hysteria back then, and Arsenal fans took it in their stride. Overmars is always welcome back at Highbury and there is no bitterness. If the worst came to the worst then I hope that Arsenal fans will behave in the same way again. What ever Henry decides he has earned the admiration and respect of all Arsenal fans. At no time in our history have we ever had a player as gifted, talented, and charismatic as Henry. As a youth supporting Arsenal it was other teams who had world stars, we had no World Cup Medal holders, or stars that were revered on the world stage.

Now we have a star that is top scorer in Europe and even changed the English Dictionary. A star who is prepared to speak out against racism, a star that is even applauded, by some, opposition fans. If we had a star like that in the 50's or 60's I would have pinched myself to check I was still awake. So I can understand that fans are reluctant for the dream ever to end, but all dreams come to an end. Hopefully later rather than sooner, but we shouldn’t let the dream turn into nightmare by falling for the machinations of the press.

Henry has never shown meanness of spirit at Highbury, or anywhere else, he is an individual with a massive heart, but even he is entitled to think about things as he enters the final phase of his career. It's important that like Wenger we respect that right. There is a whole season ahead, lets not miss out on it because others prefer to speculate.