Thierry Henry Confirms Desire to Manage Arsenal, Ready to Criticise Gunners

Just one day on from announcing his retirement, Thierry Henry has wasted little time weighing up his future plans and plotting new ambitions for his career off the field.

As reported by Matt Law of The Telegraph, the former Arsenal forward has admitted he'd love to manage the club one day. But the Frenchman—who netted 175 Premier League goals for the Gunners during a distinguished spell in north London—has insisted he'll be pulling no punches in his criticism of the club in his role as a pundit with Sky Sports.

Asked if he would want to eventually be the boss at the Emirates, Henry was unashamed in his admission that this would be his ultimate ambition but appreciates he still has plenty to learn, per Law's piece:

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That would be a dream come true, but that’s not how it works.

You have to prove yourself first, you have to learn first. You need to be able to understand what it is to be a manager.

Can you teach, can you be patient? All these problems. People think they are all managers in their own way, but it’s not that easy.

"

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Arsene Wenger insisted recently that Henry returning to the club was "inevitable," per James Olley of the London Evening Standard. Wenger also commented on his former star player's future as a coach and the chances of returning to Arsenal, via BBC Sport:

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Wenger, who signed Henry in 1999, said: 'He will end up at Arsenal one day. Coach? Manager? Director? I don't know.

'He always showed an incredible insight in his judgement of players. He has a real ability to unearth talent.'

"

While he may well have plenty to offer in myriad different roles at this juncture, the former Barcelona man clearly feels a challenge in which he is away from the game itself is best practice.

It's little wonder when you consider the whopping salary he'll be paid, per 101 Great Goals:

Sky Sports and their team of pundits seem to think he's value for money anyway, as we can see courtesy of this video the broadcaster released after announcing their recent acquisition:

In his scattering of punditry roles to date, Henry has impressed with his amicable nature and incisive insight into the game, but challenges are surely on the horizon for the Frenchman, as he fully immerses himself in this side of things for the first time.

One issue that faces any player-turned-pundit with such an obvious affinity to one club is criticising that aforementioned team. But the 37-year-old claims he'll shirk no responsibility in his assessment of the Gunners, whether it's good or bad, per Law's piece:

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I will be talking about the game good or bad.

It isn’t personal. I knew when I was playing that when I didn’t play well I was going to get some and that’s the way it is. Now, sometimes, what’s not on is when the criticism becomes a personal thing—that’s when you have to talk about the game. You are talking about a situation, not judging a person.

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While it would seem easy for pundits to be biased in their roles, quite the opposite has been the case at Sky Sports.

Former Liverpool man Jamie Carragher seems to be extra critical of the Reds, while former Manchester United defender Gary Neville was recently on the end of a barb from Red Devils manager Louis van Gaal for comparing his ex-employers to a pub team, per Ian Ladyman of the Daily Mail:

Michael Regan/Getty Images

Nonetheless, Henry will definitely add something different to the Sky Sports package, as Carragher himself noted in jest:

It'll be a sharp learning curve for Henry, but there's little doubt his nonchalant aura and incomparable experience within the game will bring plenty to the television screens of viewers across the globe. The same will also hopefully be said of his coaching abilities.

Paul Gilham/Getty Images

When Wenger does eventually leave Arsenal, there may well be a clamour for Henry to step in and fill the void, such is his unwavering popularity with all those associated with the Gunners.

But as we've seen many times previously, being a great player doesn't ipso facto mean being a great manager, and as Henry himself alluded, he has plenty to learn before he delves into that unforgiving facet of football.