Arsenal FC: 5 Arsenal Youngsters Who Could Be the Next Thierry Henry

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The much-celebrated return of Thierry Henry to the club that made him famous has already helped—and looks to continue to help—Arsenal in the short term.

But seeing the Gunners' old hero command the Emirates pitch once again has reminded Arsenal fans that there are few other solutions at striker that Arsene Wenger can turn to right now besides Robin van Persie.

However, there are longer-term options that Arsene Wenger can look to as potential strikers in the mold of the great Henry, from the young members of his first-team squad to the abundance of talent in the Arsenal youth system that is just waiting for a chance to shine.

So, without further ado, here are 10 Arsenal youngsters who maybe, just maybe, can take up the mantle of the legendary Thierry Henry.

Benik Afobe

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Afobe perfectly fits the Thierry Henry mold: he is tall, has good pace, is strong and has an insatiable desire to score goals.

The English striker has scored dozens of goals at the reserve level, and had a very productive loan spell with Huddersfield Town last year, scoring five goals in 28 appearances.

Afobe is clearly overflowing with potential, and the fact that he signed a contract extension over the summer clearly indicates that he has a future at the club.

Chuks Aneke

Young attacking midfielder Chuks Aneke may not be the most obvious choice to become a goalscoring striker, but the potential is certainly there for him to make the conversion.

First, Aneke operates mainly in the attacking side of midfield when he plays for the reserves. But more importantly, he has a penchant for goalscoring, as he has netted some scorchers from time to time, and is a solid finisher.

With an almost telepathic relationship between Afobe and Aneke, I could envision a very effective striker partnership emerging in the future between two powerful forces on the front line.

Zak Ansah

Another extremely promising young striker rising through the ranks of the Arsenal youth system, Ansah debuted for Arsenal's Under-18 team when he was just 14 years old.

Now 17, Ansah has notched an impressive 10 goals from 16 starts in the reserves and has shown himself to be a skilled finisher with a knack for scoring a thunderbolt now and then.

Joel Campbell

Arsenal's somewhat perplexing Costa Rican summer acquisition has as much upside as anyone on this list.

The left-footed 19-year-old has scored some fabulous goals for his country, and he is doing well on his loan spell with Lorient.

While Campbell's size may prevent him from leading the line in the way that the somewhat bigger and taller Henry did during his time with Arsenal, he has the raw talent necessary to succeed as a striker at the top level.

Theo Walcott

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Surprised? Don't be.

While it may not seem as if he has the skill, Theo Walcott has repeatedly expressed his desire to play in a central role for Arsenal, and feels that his skills would be better used there than on the wings.

Unfortunately, Walcott has not yet shown the level of technical skill or general well-roundedness in his game to merit an Henry-esque transition from the island of the wing to the center of the pitch.

However, if Arsene Wenger can make the move and coach Walcott to blossom in a central role, the Englishman would be a terror to centre-backs with his electric pace.

For now, one can easily rule out a change of position for young Theo, but this is a list of future prospects, and Theo Walcott's long-term future may well lie in the position that Arsenal's previous No. 14 played in.