i was going to post this in the arsenal thread but its big news so it gets it's own thread.
Quote:
Arsene Wenger is convinced that the young stars under his charge at Arsenal will derive tremendous benefit from Thierry Henry's decision to remain at the club.
Henry finally ended all the talk surrounding his future when signing a new deal on Friday.
The striker's decision to remain in North London has thrilled all those connected with the club and Wenger feels the raft of talented youngsters coming through the ranks will now have the opportunity to learn off the French superstar.
"You cannot say this team will go much higher if you lose your best player," said Wenger.
"Therefore for the progression of this team it was vital to get this kind of response from Thierry.
"It is basically an insurance for the future."
Wenger admits he can understand why Henry agonised about committing his future to The Gunners.
"He was at the age where you could understand him going through that state of mind," said Wenger. "I tried just to tell him I want him to stay.
"On the other hand I never tried to put any pressure on him, I wanted him to make up his mind freely and voluntarily but I was confident that in the end if the team can show him (Henry) they can perform and compete with the best team in Europe we can keep him."
Wenger believes Wednesday's heroic effort in the final of the UEFA Champions League had a huge bearing on Henry pledging his future to Arsenal.
"The team went through thick and thin this year but they have shown resilience and finished very strongly," said Wenger.
"I believe this season has created a special bond inside the team and there is much more to come.
"Wednesday night reinforced that feeling among the players and if you want to continue that progression it would rely on Thierry's decision
|