Arsenal icon Thierry Henry has responded cautiously when asked about the potential of becoming the club’s manager in the future, emphasizing his deep respect for current head coach, Mikel Arteta.
Henry, widely regarded as one of the greatest players in Arsenal history, amassed an impressive record of 228 goals and 103 assists across 377 appearances for the Premier League North London club.
The Frenchman played a pivotal role in securing two Premier League titles and two FA Cups during his time at Emirates Stadium.
Given Henry’s longstanding association with Arsenal, many have speculated that he may one day take the reins as manager, especially considering his previous forays into coaching.
Having served as an assistant coach for Belgium’s national team on two occasions, Henry is set to lead the French Olympic team at the 2024 Games.
The retired footballer, aged 46, has also gained managerial experience with French Ligue 1 club Monaco and Major League Soccer team Montreal Impact.
During his appearance on The Rest is Football podcast on Friday, Henry was asked by former Manchester City defender Micah Richards if he can envision himself becoming the manager of Arsenal.
In response, the Barcelona striker stated, “It will make headlines. At one point, I was foolish enough to say that becoming Arsenal manager is every fan’s dream. Then they stamped the headline ‘Thierry Henry wants to manage Arsenal.’
“Otherwise, Mikel would be asked about it, ‘Thierry Henry said…’- we don’t need these kinds of questions in a press conference. We don’t need to create unnecessary distractions!”
Furthermore, Henry remarked, “Regardless of the level, what I truly enjoy the most is developing players.
“People might say, ‘Oh, that’s great, amazing…’ – but I swear, the coaches who made me wiser are the ones I remember more than those who simply made me win.”
