Former Arsenal hero and captain Thierry Henry ended a 2-year saga by telling his Arsenal fans through the British tabloid newspaper The SUN:

It´s now or never for me... sadly it must be now!

He rounded it all up, by claiming:

I still have to pass a medical on Monday. But yes, I have chosen Barcelona. I am going to sign there for the next four seasons... for the football they play, their history, their stadium. For Frank Rijkaard, who I grew up watching.

Hmm, let me think now. With other words, after proclaiming he would finish his career at Arsenal, this actually means he wants to change because Barca play a more attractive football, have more history and the better stadium than Arsenal. As well as a coach that he admires. Or did I read something wrong in here?


I mean, I agree with him totally and I can fully understand his motives to join the Blaugrana. When we received plenty of Gooner comments who had a go at us, they made obviously clear, that he would not join Barca because TH14 is no money grabber. This makes it even better. I like players who join Barca for the right motives and not purely for the money.


I have to be honest and admit that I had a smile on my face and grinned all morning while I was reading the morning papers in the hot Barcelona sun and sipped on my "cafe con leche" and an ice cold coke (what a mixture!) after a long night out.





Looking at the headlines I also remembered one of our first photos on the blog showing Thierry Henry in a Barca shirt! What was meant as a little joke went around the world and left some Gooners very annoyed. Just for the laugh of it: Remember where you saw it first! probably the first picture ever of Theirry Henry in a Barca shirt!





Whatever changed Henry´s mind on the night of Barca´s Champions League triumph, the reason´s he had to do so, did not last very long.


I still remember his famous last words:

I’ve never played in Spain and never will. This is my last contract!

Player´s do tend to change their minds quickly and obviously Henry decided to become a Barca players for the next 4 years, costing the club 24 Mill. Euro and a salary of roughly 9 Mill. Euro a year.


In my opinion it is a very good deal for Barca and not a good one for Arsenal. While FC Barcelona is a football club and not a bank or investment vehicle, Barca´s objective is not to put money on a savings account but to invest in players. The 24 mill. Euros are not invested in a future talent that will make a transfer profit but Barca is buying a complete world class triker who is able to score 30 goals a season and should be in his prime time bat this age. Most great strikers had their best moments at 30 or even over. In a squad like Barca have, I truly believe Henry can still do a fantastic job, even at the end of his contract, when he is nearly 34. Remember, former Celtic legend Larsson, who was a great asset in this age and won us the UEFA Champions League in 2006.


All this talk about Henry being over his top and even finished at the age of nearly 30, is absolute utter nonsense. I can really not understand this part of Gooners who insulted our blog over a year and now turn on him after TH14 was a hero for 8 years and captained the Gunners to domestic glory. Branding him a lame invalid is just too much. I would rather like them to look at today´s Arseblog article (I do not entirely agree with it) who at least appreciated the service that the Arsenal captain gave the supporters over his 8 year spell at Highbury and the Emirate´s. But as a person who lived in Barcelona, the Arseblogger should have known things better than the consistent snipe at our blog, just for the sake that this was what his visitor´s wanted to read. A year ago, I must admit, I would have liked the return train journey from Paris to Barcelona (totally packed with celebrating Barca fans) taking a detour, via Marrakesh or Istanbul. Today I am only having a great smile on my face and feel:


"It´s F...in´ excellent!"


But never mind, I know the time will come when I will not be smiling, but it is still


"F...in´ excellent!


You do not have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that the money spent won´t bag Barca a huge transfer profit but I am convinced that Henry will pay back in goals and of course, merchandising. I truly believe the 24 mill Euros are very well spent (not cheap, but...), just thinking about what Arsenal will have to spent to replace their long year goal getter with a proven striker when players like Darren Bent already cost the same as Henry. And are there many players around like Thierry Henry? I doubt it!


We already had the best attacking line in the world, but with Henry we added another valuable player to it. I just hope that the Barca Board decided to go with all 4 players into the new season and do not sell Eto´o or Ronaldinho. Ronnie, Eto´o, Messi and/or Henry, I get very excited!


FC Barcelona and President Joan Laporta have done their job. Now it is up to Henry to entertain the Barca fans in Camp Nou at the highest level. It is not easy to please the Barca fans because they are demanding. Now TH14 has the platform to show and prove, if he is really one of the best! Ball is on his side now!


It took probably one year too long, but rather late then never! Welcome, Thierry!

AS Monaco player, Yaya Toure may berth in Camp Nou sooner than expected.


Among the five players who top the incoming players transfer list at Camp Nou, Yaya Toure may likely be the first to complete his crossover from France to Spain as FC Barcelona close in on the AS Monaco star.
Four other players have been short-listed in the first list drawn up by the Blaugrana. The players include Eric Abidal of Olympique Lyon, Christian Chivu of AS Roma, Jorge Andrade of Deprotivo La Coruna and Theirry Henry of Arsenal FC.


Talks on Yaya are said to have reached an advanced stage with only 3 Million Euros separating the young Ivorian from relocating to Spain. Barcelona are being asked by AS Monaco to increase their offer price to 12 Million Euros up from the 9 Million Euros Barca have put on the table. In order to sort things out on the Toure transfer, a weekend meeting in Spain has been scheduled between Yaya Toure's representative, Dimitri Selluyk, and FC Barcelona's Technical Director, Txiki Begiristain who will be in the company of Barca vice president Ferran Soriano.

Among other things on his mind, Selluyk wants to personally make Barcelona understand AS Monaco are insisting on the 12 Million Euro figure because the French Club has to honour their financial obligation in an old deal which requires Monaco to pay half of Toure's transfer fee from Metalurg Donetsk of Ukraine.


Yaya Toure himself has expressed interest in playing The Catalan giants and this decision of his has received a lot of support from various quarters including Gerard, former FC Barcelona player and Monaco teammate of Yaya.

Chelsea FC talisman wants out of the Premiership and into top action in La Liga.


The gifted striker who has proved himself tremendously over the years has declared playing in Spain is one dream he must fulfil before he retires.

I am 29 years and want a new experience. I will prefer to play in Spain and achieve my career dreams. I need greater motivation and more demanding action and a clearly defined play with purpose and I shall find this in Spain.

FC Barcelona are being associated with a Didier Drogba move, especially as the much expected transfer of Arsenal's Thierry Henry is not yet through.
Barca may have begun searching for a very suitable replacement for the Frenchman Henry whose definite location next season is still a matter of speculation.

Reports in the Spanish media claim that FC Barcelona´s board and technical staff are having an old target back on their wish-list for the summer transfer period: Thierry Henry of Arsenal.


FC Barcelona have not made an official comment so far but but fresh reports quote president Laporta as being confident of securing the services of Gunner Henry.


Catalunya Radio even goes further and claim negotiations are ongoing with Arsenal FC.


Barcelona based daily sports papers EL MUNDO DEPORTIVO and SPORT are reporting that FC Barcelona tabled a € 15 Mill. take-it-or-leave-it offer for Thierry Henry and are waiting if Arsenal accepts.


To read the stories in Spanish, click here:


EL MUNDO DEPORTIVO


SPORT


Rumours and speculations suggested that Barca´s confidence in signing Thierry Henry is based on the departure of vice-chairman David Dein from the Arsenal board a couple of weeks ago, and the possible knock-on effect of that on manager Arsene Wenger and the players Wenger and Dein brought to the club.


The English tabloid Daily Star suggests that Henry is very unhappy about the current state of performance of the club. Arsenal are about to conclude a second successive season without any silverware and the way how the Gunner´s exited from the Champions League against PSV Eindhoven must be bothering arsenal´s star player Henry.


Henry surely will have talks with his mentor Arsene Wenger and probably a lot will depend on Wenger´s decision to stay on as arsenal manager when his current contract expires in 2008. Henry surely will reconsider his long term commitment and decision willing to end his career at Arsenal, if Wenger should decide to quit the Gunners.


The Daily Star also believes Arsenal could be ready to sell their star player as they prepare to restructure the club. Rumours also suggest, that Henry's influence has grown too big at the club for some of the board members.


Some interesting weeks ahead and I am sure, we will read some more headlines over the next weeks.

French legend Michael Platini believes strongly that Arsenal´s Thierry Henry made a huge mistake not signing for FC Barcelona this summer.
The candidate for the UEFA presidency and France legend Platini claims that Henry has not won enough titles on Club level, especially on the European stage and therefore has not achieved the same category of other great football stars. Platini told British tabloid "The SUN" last weekend:

I sincerely believe he made a mistake in not signing for Barcelona. I told him so and said the same to Barca president Joan Laporta. Henry would have grown a lot at Barcelona. Thierry Henry is a truly great player and is on the verge of over-taking me as a goalscorer for France. However, he hasn't achieved the same category of other great stars. Why? Because he lacks playing in a great team and winning titles with his club like he has done with France, where he has been European and world champion.