Arsenal's second-largest shareholder wants permanent Henry return

LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 09: Thierry Henry of Arsenal prepares to come on as a substitute during the FA Cup Third Round match between Arsenal and Leeds United at the Emirates Stadium on January 9, 2012 in London, England.

Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov wants Club legend Thierry Henry to return to Arsenal Football Club on a permanent basis this January.

Sources in the media say that Wenger is vying to sign Henry on loan for a second time when the transfer window opens in the new year for a six-week loan, as he did last season, but may choose to keep him for the rest of the season, in which case the Londoners will have to pay Henry’s parent club, Major League Soccer outfit New York Red Bulls, a sizeable loan fee.

But Usmanov is of the opinion that Henry should return permanently to Arsenal and occupy a place in Wenger’s coaching staff alongside the likes of Steve Bould, Boro Primorac and Neil Banfield. Speaking to French newspaper L’Equipe, he said:

“The presence of a champion can radically change the soul of a team, that’s what Thierry Henry showed last year when he came back to Arsenal. But I think that comebacks only succeed once. That’s why I think the decision to come back belongs only to Thierry.

“I don’t have any powers in terms of decisions at the club but there are a few players with whom I am in contact. My favourite is probably Thierry. He should be involved at the club but not as a player. He has another role to play, a more important role. Take the example of Patrick Vieira at Manchester City. He is also a symbol of Arsenal but he is helping another club. We have to avoid that with Thierry.”

FILE PHOTO: LONDON – NOVEMBER 07: Russian Oligarch Alisher Usmanov (c) leaves the Tate Britain art gallery on November 7, 2008 in London, England. The Pushkin Museum in Moscow is hosting a major exhibition of works by JMW Turner on loan from Tate Britain thanks to it’s sole sponsor, Alisher Usmanov. Mr Usmanov who is a major shareholder in the Russian industrial conglomerate, Metalloinvest, as well as Arsenal Football Club, is reported to have a personal fortune of approximately £2.7bn.

Henry, who is the Emirates Stadium side’s highest scorer, scored 225 goals in the Red and White of the Gunners before leaving for Barcelona, and from there the United States. He returned to Arsenal last January, and was instrumental in reviving their form after a woeful January where the Gunners failed to win even one of their games.

He added two more to that number with his comeback goal against Leeds United in the FA Cup and followed it up with a crucial winner against Sunderland.

Arsenal have had a shaky season so far, which was only underlined when they were knocked out the quarter-finals of the Capital One Cup on penalties at the home of League Two side Bradford City. The Gunners are currently seventh in the table, two points shy of the Champions League spots.

The Club do have significant funds in the region of around £40 million, and have been linked to Schalke 04′s Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Crystal Palace starlet Wilfried Zaha and Spain goalkeeper Pepe Reina of Liverpool.

The return of Henry could provide Arsenal with some much-needed impetus, and might serve to placate the fans, a certain section of whom have been increasingly calling for the ouster of the side’s French manager.

Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith, one of the Club’s former board members, who also served as director, and is now the club’s honorary vice-president, has criticised Kroenke via her Twitter account, accusing him of caring “very little” about Arsenal.

“Why he wanted to be part of AFC I do not know,” she wrote. “If making money was the motivating factor, surely there are better ways. Football is a business of passion and SK [Kroenke] has no passion for AFC.”