Au revoir

It's not often that this blog gets all serious and sentimental, but then again there aren't many footballers like Thierry Henry.

As the brilliant Frenchman packs his bags for pastures new in Barcelona, it's time to pay tribute to the best overseas player in Premiership history. Forget that, the best player in Premiership history full stop.

Sure there was Cantona, Zola, Bergkamp, Shearer and the rest, but none of them brought as much to the game as Henry. His pace, power, finishing ability and extraordinary stamina levels marked him out as the benchmark for all 21st century forwards.

Everyone can remember a great Henry goal. Whether it's that stunning looping volley on the turn against Manchester United, those amazing solo runs against Liverpool and Spurs or that run and great finish against Inter Milan.

Now I'm no Arsenal fan, but you don't need to be to appreciate the Frenchman's ability. He repeatedly got standing ovations at grounds like Fratton Park and Anfield, which didn't go unnoticed by the man himself, who last September claimed that Liverpool's supporters were 'awesome,' and if he could play for another English club it would be the Reds.

Henry's departure means that the next few weeks are vital if the Gunners are to mount any sort of serious title challenge over the coming season. Arsene Wenger still has the likes of Emmanuel Adebayor and Robin van Persie at his disposal, while surely Theo Walcott will play a bigger role in 2007/08. All undoubtedly possess great talent, but none will be able to fill the vast Henry-sized hole that will hover over the Emirates Stadium.

Wenger needs to replace quality with quality. The Arsenal fans will accept no less. But where do you get another Henry?

Knowing Wenger's track record, he's probably already got a young forward that no-one's ever heard of in mind, but surely that's not enough? Henry stated that one of the reasons he's decided to leave was that the club broke their promise to him that big name players would be on their way to North London.

Without the gifted Frenchman, Arsenal have lost their star quality. It's all well and good buying young, inexperienced players, actually it's great, but fans love big-name players, and the Gunners are running out of them.

It remains to be seen for just how long Wenger will stick around for. His contract runs out at the end of the coming season and the general consensus is that he won't renew it.

Without Henry, his job has just got a lot harder. Whoever inherits his Arsenal striking berth has big boots to fill, and a big task ahead of him. Thierry Henry has given the Premiership some wonderful memories, and leaves it a much poorer place.