10 Underwhelming Arsenal Signings Who Became Cult Heroes
4. Thierry Henry
It's one of the beautiful tales of modern day football, how a slight French winger, struggling for game-time in Turin, was taken under the wing of former coach Arsene Wenger and moulded into one of the finest strikers the world has ever known. Having transferred to Juventus from Monaco following France's 1998 World Cup triumph, the 22 year old Thierry Henry simply failed to settle in Italy, mustering just three goals in 16 appearances. Thus, when Wenger decided to shell out £11 million for his former Monaco colleague, it's fair to say that a couple of eyebrows were raised. Signed as a replacement for the prolific Nicolas Anelka, it certainly looked like the French manager was trying to be a bit too clever in deploying the profligate winger up front. With Gunners supporters crying out for a fully-fledged goal-scorer, this was certainly not the answer. Wenger's self-indulgence paid however, as he managed to hone Henry's natural talents into producing a debut season of 26 goals. Currently Arsenal's top scorer of all time with 228 goals in 376 appearances, he was also a prime catalyst which sparked the historic 03/04 season of the Invincibles, and won seven trophies as a Gunner. A Premier League Golden Boot winner four times, PFA Players' Player of the Year twice, included in the PFA Team of the Year six times and UEFA Team of the Year five times, it's fair to say that Henry made the right choice in the summer of 1999. Having briefly rejoined the club from New York Red Bulls on loan in January 2012, his emotional match-winning comeback against Leeds United depicted perfectly the relationship between player and supporter, as he wheeled away beating the crest with sheer passion.
''I am enjoying the club as a fan where I wasn't before: now I know how people feel when they score for the club they support. I will always remember tonight. I don't know why but, when it comes to Arsenal, something happens with me. Sometimes in a bad away but most of the way in history in a good way.'' - Thierry Henry, January 2012.
Recent Journalism & New Media graduate. Insatiable thirst for all things football, and hopes to break into the field of sports journalism in the near future.
Have made a significantly insignificant playing career out of receiving several slaps around the head for not passing the ball.
