Henry ‘to leave Arsenal’ amid ‘Wenger row over Sky TV role’

Thierry Henry: Set for a parting of ways with Arsene Wenger

Thierry Henry: Set for a parting of ways with Arsene Wenger

Thierry Henry is set to quit his role as Arsenal’s academy coach after Arsene Wenger reportedly asked his fellow Frenchman to give up his role as a Sky Sports pundit.

Henry has been told by Wenger that he cannot combine roles at the Emirates Stadium and is now poised to leave the club, despite claims that their record goalscorer had offered to undertake his academy work with the Gunners for free.

And so Henry is poised to become the latest in a long line of players to start his coaching career elsewhere, with the likes of Patrick Vieira, Dennis Bergkamp, Marc Overmars and, most recently, Mikel Arteta in making the move into coaching away from manager Wenger and Arsenal.

Henry was offered a job coaching Arsenal’s Under-18s by head of the academy Andries Jonker, only to be personally overruled by Wenger.

Having completed his A licence coaching qualification while working with Arsenal’s kids, Henry must now coach a team to get his UEFA pro licence and had hoped to do so with the Gunners’ Under-18s.

Wenger, though, informed Henry that a position with the Under-18s must be a full-time role and cannot be combined with his work for Sky television.

Henry responded by offering to work with Under-18s coach Kwame Ampadu without collecting a wage, while still fulfilling his Sky obligations, but Wenger turned him down.

An offer to coach the club’s strikers was also rejected by the 66-year-old. While senior figures inside the Emirates were happy for Henry to stay and continue his education at Arsenal, a final decision was left down to Wenger.

The Daily Telegraph claims sources around Arsenal believe Wenger does not want anybody at the club’s London Colney training ground who may be prepared to challenge him or be seen as a possible threat to his position in the future.