Thierry Henry, since leaving Arsenal, has maintained his love of the club from a fan’s perspective and has always wanted to do what he can to push the Gunners on.
He joined forces with Daniel Ek in the proposed Arsenal takeover that was not successful, however, the Invincible’s ambition to see the club back at the top is unwavering.
It was evident that Henry would one day want to become the Arsenal manager and has been working with Roberto Martinez at Belgium before and after a brief move into head coaching with Monaco and Montreal Impact. Yet when asked after leaving the Canadian side if he would still want to coach the Gunners the answer remained the same.
"Listen, if you ask an Arsenal fan if they’d like to coach Arsenal one day, they’ll say yes," Henry told FourFourTwo . "If you ask an Arsenal fan if they’d like to score a goal for Arsenal, they’ll say yes.
"When I speak about it, it’s a utopia. People get carried away whenever I say that it’s my club, but I have it in my blood – I’m an Arsenal fan.
Being part of the Belgian setup, Henry has been able to work with prospective Arsenal players. The most recent was Albert Sambi Lokonga. The youngster joined the club from Anderlecht in the summer and revealed that his national team coach had given him some advice.
"He gave me some advice about Arsenal, the way the people are, the mentality I need to have. Some little things like that,” Lokonga said on Arsenal’s YouTube channel.
Lokonga has been a refreshing presence in the Arsenal midfield. Not without mistakes, few are at his age, but the 22-year-old has been a welcome addition.
Belgium international teammate Youri Tielemans is now also being linked with a move to Arsenal. The Leicester City man is refusing to extend his deal with the Foxes which will see him drop to just a single season remaining on his contract come June.
Arsenal’s interest in the player could be backed again with words of encouragement from Thierry Henry. The Frenchman, whilst with Monaco coaching Tielemans, gave the then young midfielder the captain’s armband.
When under pressure in November 2018, Tielemans backed Henry to turn the fortunes of the side around.
"Yes of course [I have faith], he's a really good coach, he has some ideas he wants to put in the team. The team is working hard to change things," he said.
"I know from here [he's a good coach] that he has a good knowledge of football, and he tries to transmit it to his players."
Now working together again in the Belgian international setup, Arsenal’s interest in Tielemans will not be going unnoticed. With Lokonga’s admission of seeking advice from the Gunners legend, it makes sense that Tielemans would also consult with Henry.
Should Arsenal’s interest in Tielemans materialise into a protracted pursuit and offer, the club will hope that Henry has plenty of positive sway on the player’s decision. Especially considering rival interest from the likes of Manchester United.
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