Arsene Wenger: Thierry Henry will not tarnish his Arsenal legacy with loan move

Posted Saturday, December 31, 2011 by YAHOO Sport

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger does not believe Thierry Henry risks tarnishing his legacy at the club with a proposed two-month loan from New York Red Bulls.

The MLS striker looks set for a return to north London after the Gunners boss revealed a deal was 'certain' ahead of the Emirates clash with QPR on Saturday.

Wenger believes the 34-year-old should not be expected to be as potent as he was in his prime and insisted the Frenchman will not be relied upon to provide the club's primary attacking threat.

“You can never take away from people what they have done, that will remain forever," he told reporters. “Nobody expects him to be what he was 10 years ago, we just want him to help out. I think it is just credit to him to want to be helpful to a club that has given him so much. Therefore I feel there is no special pressure to be the player he was before.”

Henry is Arsenal's all-time leading goalscorer, netting 226 times in 370 appearances, and joins the likes of Sol Campbell and Jens Lehmann in returning to the Gunners in the twilight of their careers, something which Wenger believes is testament to the special bond players have with the club.

“I believe our fans are happy that players who have done well for the club want to help out again," the coach continued. "That is very positive. We had that before and it shows that Arsenal have a special link with our players because we had Sol Campbell and Jens Lehmann who helped out for a while and did very well.

“Now we have Thierry. It is a continuity of the special link with our former players. The players are all happy that Thierry is coming back, too. You can always learn in life from people who have the knowledge he has. That was one of the reasons why we brought Jens Lehmann and Sol Campbell back. They have a weight in the dressing room.”

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