Thierry Henry

Thierry Henry must not ‘hog the limelight’ or he will cause unrest at Arsenal, warns Stewart Robson

The 47-year-old has raised concerns that the New York Red Bulls striker's loan move may 'undermine' members of the current squad, insisting the Frenchman proved detrimental before

Former Arsenal prodigy Stewart Robson believes that bringing Thierry Henry back to his former club could backfire on Gunners boss Arsene Wenger.Henry, former captain and record goalscorer for the London based side, is set to rejoin the club that launched his footballing career on a two-month loan from New York Red Bulls.Robson has spoken out about how the Frenchman could cause unrest in the Arsenal camp and possibly affect the form of Robin van Persie, who is scoring goals for fun at the moment.“I can understand all the reasons why Arsene Wenger has taken him back - he has been training there and it will give the crowd a lift - but I’m not sure it’s a good move," told Paul Robson to TalkSport's DriveTime show."For the last two years that Thierry Henry was at the club his ego made him the biggest player there and other players fell by the wayside because of that."I’m just worried for the likes of van Persie, for the likes of [Theo] Walcott, for the likes of [Aaron] Ramsey, that Thierry Henry wants all the limelight, takes all the limelight, and it takes away from Arsenal getting back on a good run.“One of the reasons Robin van Persie didn’t progress as quickly as he should have done three or four years ago and why [Jose Antonio] Reyes didn’t become the player that he should have done at Arsenal, and why two or three other players fell by the wayside, was because of Thierry Henry.

There’s no question about it.This comes as rumours of Thierry Henry's return to London have solidified in recent days after several pictures and press statements have been spread around the globe.“I’ve spoken to one or two of the young players at Arsenal that were then when Thierry Henry was there and they said he undermined their confidence. He was a player that threatened them, that didn’t like being threatened himself.

“When Robin van Persie came into the side and looked as though he could be a better player than Thierry Henry and when Reyes came to the club, they were undermined by Thierry Henry. I hope that doesn’t happen again because Robin van Persie is now showing what a world class player he is.“I’m just hoping that Thierry Henry will realise he’s not the player he once was and won’t try to hog the limelight.”
With Thierry Henry set to seal a two-month loan return to Arsenal, former Gunners midfielder Stewart Robson has aired caution, suggesting the 34-year-old's arrival at the Emirates could prove less than beneficial.


Whilst the majority of the footballing world has hailed the Frenchman's return to north London, Robson has intimated the New York Red Bulls striker's presence may cause unrest in the Arsenal camp.

“I can understand all the reasons why Arsene Wenger has taken him back - he has been training there and it will give the crowd a lift - but I’m not sure it’s a good move," Robson told TalkSport.

"For the last two years that Thierry Henry was at the club his ego made him the biggest player there and other players fell by the wayside because of that.

"I’m just worried for the likes of [Robin Van Persie, for the likes of [Theo] Walcott, for the likes of [Aaron] Ramsey, that Thierry Henry wants all the limelight, takes all the limelight, and it takes away from Arsenal getting back on a good run.

“One of the reasons Robin van Persie didn’t progress as quickly as he should have done three or four years ago and why [Jose Antonio] Reyes didn’t become the player that he should have done at Arsenal, and why two or three other players fell by the wayside, was because of Thierry Henry. There’s no question about it."

The 47-year-old has also suggested that Henry's presence at the club first-time round "undermined" the confidence of a number of younger players.

“I’ve spoken to one or two of the young players at Arsenal that were then when Thierry Henry was there and they said he undermined their confidence.

"He was a player that threatened them, that didn’t like being threatened himself.

“When Robin van Persie came into the side and looked as though he could be a better player than Thierry Henry and when Reyes came to the club, they were undermined by Thierry Henry.

"I hope that doesn’t happen again because Robin van Persie is now showing what a world class player he is.

“I’m just hoping that Thierry Henry will realise he’s not the player he once was and won’t try to hog the limelight.”