The title says it all. There are rumors swirling around the interweb that Thierry Henry, the brilliant Barcelona striker and top all-time goal scorer for France, is in talks with Seattle MLS. Here's what we heard, word for word:
"...a question was asked of the GM of the Seattle club had they thought about who they would bring in. He answered by saying quite matter of factly that they were in 'advanced negotiations' with Thierry Henry and then added that he was the other guy in the Gilette commercial with Tiger Woods and Roger Federer."
Obviously, this would be huge. Enormous. Henry coming to MLS (and Seattle, no less) would be an EXTREMELY BIG DEAL. He would be instantly the most recognizable player next to Beckham, and one of the league's best as well.
But would it really happen? Well, for a group with Paul Allen money, the cost wouldn't be a hurdle. And Henry has publicly stated a desire to eventually play in the United States. Still, we'll remain skeptical just to guard from disappointment. If he did sign, it probably wouldn't be until Barcelona's 2009 season had ended, meaning he wouldn't get to Seattle until June or July. It's a long way off, but... it could happen. Seriously.
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2 comments:
I'll start by saying how much I love to watch Thierry Henry. I've been a gooner since the mid nineties, and after watching him in the world cup in 98, I couldn't have been happier than the day I found out that Wenger signed him. However, his last year at Arsenal, and certainly his first year at Barca were/are a huge disappointment. His game was based on pace to get him in a scoring position, and then his incredible finishing. Now that his pace is fading with age, he hasn't done a good job of adapting his game. With his finishing qualities he'd be a great "fox in the box" and could learn a lot from his old friend Dennis Bergkamp. Unfortunately, he isn't adapting, and younger backs are finding it easier to keep up with and dispossess him. Also, he is, as he always has been, poor in the air despite his height. What you can be sure of with Thierry though is a very high price tag for a player that may not outperform some of our salary capped players. If we want somebody to sell lots of shirts for us then he's our boy, but as much as I love him and would love to have him at the club in Seattle, I would rather get a world class player who is retiring from top flight European football that didn't have a game based on pace. I think this different sort of player would be far more effective at helping us win the league.
As a fellow Arsenal fan (though not for quite as long) I can agree with most of that. A couple of thoughts, though - first, the shorter MLS season would probably (hopefully?) allow him to stay fresher and healthy longer. Also the quality and speed of MLS defending is, uh, somewhat less than La Liga. And I think he'd be a good compliment to Le Toux up front. Differing, compatible styles and all that.
The selling-tons-of-jerseys thing would be nice as well, admittedly.
Having said all that, who are some of the world class players you'd target? A Shunsuke Nakamura type?
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