Who will take a chance on Thierry Henry?

It’s been evident for a while now that Barcelona are more than willing to sell Thierry Henry should interest in the forward appear. Barca’s main transfer targets include an extremely expensive left winger/forward who would clearly replace Henry in their first team while the Frenchman has even been offered as part of a swap deal – this is the desire Barcelona have to be rid of him. Henry remains part of the first team set up and was their choice striker for the El Classico clash with Real Madrid this weekend (though that was more to do with Zlatan Ibrahimovic reportedly said to be injured) but his place in the team is only there until Barca next get the opportunity to replace him – his contract doesn’t have long to run and the club have no intentions of renewing it, a January move is thus very likely as the club look to profit on the player but where should he go?

All speculations as to Henry’s next destination have linked him with a return to the Premiership, oft thought to be Henry’s spiritual footballing home following his spell with Arsenal. He’s already failed in Italy, wouldn’t move to a smaller team in Spain and Real Madrid or Valencia wouldn’t be interested in him. Whilst he is getting along in terms of age, Henry is highly unlikely to retire back to his native France anytime soon to end his career in a lower profile league while he feels he is capable of playing at the top level.

The problem then is where would Henry fit in the Premiership? He’s still too big a name and too good for the majority of the teams in the league to even be considered but there’s a handful of clubs he could do a job for. Rule Chelsea and Manchester United out; not only do they resent him for his time at Arsenal but an ageing forward like Henry is of no interest to either club. Then there’s his former club, Arsenal – many believe that Henry would be welcomed back at Arsenal due to his status as a legend at the club and his having been voted their best ever player. The fact is though that Arsenal do not need Henry – they have a settled set up at the club at the moment with Robin Van Persie doing a fine job as main striker, although his injury has opened a door for arrivals. Eduardo, Nicklas Bendtner and Carlos Vela provide different options and Arsene Wenger would surely not want to splash out on an ageing player given his habit of signing cheap young players. Henry could do a job for Arsenal but the fact remains that, despite Wenger’s great friendship with the player, Henry is not the kind of player Wenger will contemplate bringing into the club – and Wenger isn’t known for making many signings during the January transfer window.

Then there’s Liverpool; let’s face it, Henry would never be a first choice there any more with Fernando Torres ahead of him in the pecking order but it’s well known that Liverpool need more squad depth and they are short of strikers, particularly ones who can score. Henry has a proven goalscoring record and could possibly be in Rafa Benitez’s price range. Yes he’s pretty old for a footballer now but he’s still got a couple of years left in him and could do a job for Liverpool for when Torres is out. The name’s already been bandied about, it’s a possibility.

Lastly in the list of clubs Henry could possibly move to in the Premiership is mega-rich Manchester City who he’s been linked with on a number of occasions, mainly due to the suggested swap deal between him and Robinho. Why City would trade Robinho for Henry is beyond me though – yes Henry was a great player in his day but he’s only got a couple of years left in him while Robinho’s still pretty young and has his best yet to come – no wonder Barca want to make the swap! And then there’s the possible situation where Robinho stays but Henry signs to add to City’s options – a big name like Henry would still remain the kind of coup that the club are constantly seeking in their signings. But the problem here is that Man City have a plethora of strikers on their books already and Henry would not suit being used as an out-and-out winger as his pace is going. He could get goals for the club but he’d have to be able to get a game first which he surely couldn’t do with the likes of Emmanuel Adebayor, Carlos Tevez and Roque Santa Cruz on City’s books.

All things considered, signing for Liverpool looks like the best thing Henry could do in the transfer window if he is to leave Barca; they need players and he’d suit their style of play. But he’d have to be willing to spend a lot of time waiting in the shadows for Torres to need a break and whether an egotistical player like Henry is willing to do that is yet to be seen. Benitez is also known for being reluctant to splash out apart from on his top targets and, while Henry wouldn’t be expensive, Benitez may prefer to spend the funds he has elsewhere. He could do a lot worse than to sign Thierry Henry though.