Henry keen to disprove Wenger's TV roadblock

LONDON • Thierry Henry is determined to prove Arsene Wenger wrong and show that he can combine a coaching career with his punditry work after being forced out of Arsenal.

The club legend is seeking coaching opportunities at youth-team level with other English Premier League football clubs and has already attracted interest from West Ham United and Watford since news emerged on Tuesday of his departure from Arsenal.

He was offered a full-time position with Arsenal's Under-18s on a salary of £150,000 (S$267,000) by Andries Jonker, the club's academy chief, in April, but he was overruled by Wenger, who insisted that his former captain must quit his punditry role at Sky Sports to take the job.

The manager is understood to have been unhappy at some of Henry's criticisms of Arsenal last season, particularly his view that they would not win the Premier League without signing a striker to support Olivier Giroud, and his claim that he had never known such division between fans and the club.

Henry contends that he has always been supportive of Wenger and has privately pointed to the fact that his former manager also works as a pundit.

Wenger has a lucrative contract with broadcaster beIN Sports, for whom he covers every World Cup and European Championship as well as providing analysis for all of France's matches during in-season international breaks.

When given the ultimatum by Wenger, Henry made it clear that he would not walk away from his £4 million-a-year contract with Sky, although he did offer to work for Arsenal for nothing.

Freddie Ljungberg, the former Arsenal midfielder, is also back at the club, coaching the Under-15s and Under-16s, while Steve Bould remains as Wenger's assistant.

THE TIMES, LONDON

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on July 14, 2016, with the headline Henry keen to disprove Wenger's TV roadblock. Subscribe