Behind the Story: Could Thierry Henry Replace Arsene Wenger?
It's happened again. Arsenal have been dumped out of Europe, and there have been supporters protesting for Arsene Wenger's time as manager to end.
His contract is set to expire at the end of this season, and as an increasing number of fans turn against him, this could be the year he finally steps aside.
So who replaces him?
Thierry Henry was this week the subject of a report in the Daily Telegraph which detailed how Josh Kroenke, the son of majority owner Stan Kroenke and heir to his empire, has set him as his personal top choice to succeed Wenger in the Emirates hotseat.
Such significant detail on one of football's hottest subjects could not be ignored, so I began digging to the root of the story to uncover just what it would take for the Arsenal legend to be appointed.
Would the club really be brave enough to take such a bold step into the unknown?
Here is a breakdown of the factors that will decide who becomes Arsenal's next manager and whether Henry really can land the job.
No Obvious Outstanding Candidate
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This part is important: There is no obvious man in line to become the next Arsenal boss.
Away from Henry there have been plenty of men linked: Juventus boss Massimilliano Allegri, Thomas Tuchel of Borussia Dortmund, Atletico Madrid chief Diego Simeone and Bournemouth's Eddie Howe. I have also been told not to ignore Sevilla manager Jorge Sampaoli as a contender.
But no steps have been made so far to appoint one particular person.
Allegri seems to be the man most spoken about right now, largely due to a report from the Daily Express that claimed a verbal agreement has been struck.
The Juventus man has dismissed the story, and I have been told from the Arsenal end of the situation that it is wide of the mark.
So could this all play into a surprise opportunity for Henry? He is currently working for the Belgium national team alongside Roberto Martinez but would consider any serious opportunity to work at Arsenal again.
Another detail to take into account when weighing up this scenario is that it will not unfold like Manchester United's.
Sir Alex Ferguson played a significant role in choosing David Moyes to step into his shoes—but I am informed that the Arsenal board have no plans to ask Wenger to offer his opinion.
The Board Have Never Picked a Manager
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We live in an era when the average tenure of a football manager is just 1.31 years, yet Arsenal currently have a boss with more than 20 years' service behind him.
It means the current board have never had to give any significant thought to the process of appointing a new manager, and there is concern about how the men faced with the decision will deal with the next step.
Stan Kroenke became majority shareholder in 2011, while chief executive Ivan Gazidis has been in his post since 2009. Alisher Usmanov, another major shareholder, will also have a say in who becomes the next boss.
It is the Kroenke family who are most willing to back Henry, and we should not down play the role Stan's son Josh could play in what comes next.
You will have seen images of him talking with Henry intently at a January NBA game in London. I understand this was when he got stuck in to the Frenchman about his hopes and dreams in management—and he heard everything he wanted to about making Arsenal great again.
Josh has tried to hammer home that message to his father, and while there are obvious reservations about handing Henry such a huge role, one source suggested that Stan has been coming around to the idea.
Gazidis may not be as easy to convince. He is expected to be more strict about the qualifications needed to be worthy of the Arsenal manager's seat. Yet there are two other factors that are going to be needed...
Low Maintenance but a Guarantee of Success
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Speaking to one Arsenal insider, it has become clear that anyone with confrontational tendencies just isn't going to cut it as manager at the Emirates.
While the club will seek someone with passion and drive, they will not want a man who will upset the foundations of the club or attempt an approach radically different to Wenger.
Ultimately, whoever succeeds Wenger will have to be a character that is easy to deal with—and that may suit Henry.
In a first manager's job he would be unlikely to make major changes to the infrastructure or transfer policy.
However, the other high-priority strength on a CV is one he would struggle to prove.
Arsenal do not want to gamble on future success and will look to appoint someone who offers the best possible chance of a place in the top four and Champions League football.
A source explained: "This is an aspect that leads me to believe they simply will not gamble on appointing Henry as the next manager. There is no measure of whether or not he could deliver Champions League football. It would be risky after Wenger has done so for so many years."
Look at La Liga's Top Two
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But what if you flip that argument on its head? Josh Kroenke would be of the opinion that success in the Champions League does not necessarily come from experience but motivation and inspiration.
For an example of two men who are beginning to convince some high-powered Arsenal staff, look no further than La Liga.
Barcelona have a history of handing their main job to a man with the club's DNA ingrained. Luis Enrique worked at Barcelona B and landed the big gig after short—largely uneventful—stints with AS Roma and Celta Vigo.
Over at Real Madrid, Zinedine Zidane became manager in January 2016 as he succeeded Rafa Benitez. Zidane's previous coaching experience was with the club's reserve team, Real Madrid Castilla.
Their success is well publicised. Luis Enrique has collected eight trophies, including the Champions League, since 2014. Zidane has won three trophies in the space of a year, also including Europe's top club competition.
While Wenger will largely be remembered as Arsenal's most successful manager of all time, he has never managed to get his hands on Europe's most sought-after trophy.
This is one strong argument for the potential appointment of Henry. Personality, respect of the squad and strong player relationships could prove to be more effective in finally winning the Champions League than the many years of experience Wenger has accumulated.
It is hard to argue experience counts for much on the back of a horrible 10-2 aggregate drubbing by Bayern Munich.
A Link to the Past
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So how do you motivate a club that has become trapped in a spiral of disappointment?
In conversations with various sources over this situation, one problematic area consistently arose; the vibe that now exists both inside the club and in the stands of the Emirates.
Almost everyone has given up on Wenger now, and Arsenal need fresh inspiration.
Wenger's success and influence have been tainted in recent years, but Henry's have not.
When you see how well the Zidane factor has worked at inspiring the world's biggest names back to form, you have to consider whether it could be as simple for the Gunners.
What if Wenger has simply forgotten what it feels like to win? What it takes to win the title?
Those memories and feelings will feel more alive for Henry, who was both captivating and decisive in an Arsenal shirt. Without all the years of disappointment wearing him down as they have Wenger, perhaps he could prove as important in the dugout.
He has spent a brief spell in the youth setup. He has strong links with so many inside the club at every level.
I am told Belgian players that have been working with him have been extremely impressed by his man-to-man talks and personal coaching guidance.
The Battle to Keep Alexis
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As it stands, the future of Arsenal's best player seems to lie elsewhere. The images of Alexis Sanchez smirking on the bench as Arsenal trailed 5-1 (again) on Tuesday evening were painful for anyone attached to the club.
If Wenger stays as Arsenal manager beyond this campaign, Sanchez will be gone. Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, Chelsea...they would all love to have him on board.
But hope is never completely lost when it comes to retaining a player, and Henry would surely be able to play a role in keeping the star man in north London.
Again, we are talking about respect and inspiration rather than specific football philosophies or tactics, but this is part of the Kroenke thinking; maybe football can be simplified.
With Henry taking care of Arsenal's public reputation and managing egos and concerns inside the dressing room, a team of coaches would be helping to fix the team's results.
It was even suggested to me that Roberto Martinez, the current Belgium manager, could be a feasible option to join alongside him.
Making the Decision
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When Wenger does leave Arsenal, a role for Henry is going to become a serious talking point inside the boardroom.
But there is the one huge unknown factor: Just when will Wenger step aside?
In the hours before Arsenal's latest Bayern defeat, I spoke to one source who had been in conversation with a confidante of Wenger.
The message from him was one that most Arsenal fans won't want to hear: Wenger plans to carry on. It seems Wenger still feels he has unfinished business, feels he can still achieve great things at Arsenal. Don't forget, a two-year contract is on the table when he wants to discuss it.
Maybe his thinking has changed in the hours since the Champions League humiliation, but probably not.
Two more years of Wenger is a long time, but Henry would be better prepared, fans would be less worried about his appointment, and it would give Kroenke and Gazidis the space to seriously plot their plan for the future.
Can Arsenal really afford to wait?
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