ARSENE WENGER reckons Thierry Henry’s return could see his young Arsenal team bursting with extra confidence. As SunSport revealed on Monday, the club legend is training with his former side until January 19 before heading back for pre-season with New York Red Bulls.
\nHenry, 33, who left for Barcelona in 2007, helped lift the atmosphere after Saturday’s 1-1 home FA Cup draw with Leeds. And the Gunners will be hoping for a further lift for tonight’s Carling Cup semi-final, first leg at Ipswich.
\nWenger, whose team last won a trophy in 2005, said: “We are happy to speak with him every day. He is in the dressing room with the players and they are happy to have him back. He sees as well how much they have evolved since he left the club.
\n“He can help them to have confidence. He is a very intelligent boy who has massive experience.
\n“He can help the players in the dressing room and that is what he does. But we are happy to help him to get fit and he is happy to be here.
\n“He was one of the greatest players this club has ever had and has done a huge service to this club. The only way we can pay him back is always to be welcoming, as we are with all our former players when they want to get fit.”
\nNot everyone at the club’s London Colney training ground is fit, though – most notably the centre-halves.
\nThomas Vermaelen, who has played only three league games this season after being injured playing for Belgium in early September, has suffered a further setback with his Achilles trouble. Sebastien Squillaci will also be sidelined for up to three weeks with a hamstring problem.
\nWenger is looking at signing a replacement but still insists the team can cope. Johan Djourou and Laurent Koscielny will play alongside each other at Portman Road. Wenger added: “Squillaci is a maximum three weeks, minimum two. It’s a hamstring but not a bad one. Vermaelen had a small setback on Saturday we are a little concerned with. We are consulting some of the top specialists in the world.
\n“With this setback from Thomas, we will have to look around. We always have people in mind and we check them out. We look everywhere but it’s difficult to find someone at this period of the season.
\n“We still have solutions internally with Ignasi Miquel, with Alex Song, who can play centre-back, and with Squillaci, who should come back very quickly.
\n“If we find somebody at the right level, we will do it. If not we will continue like this.” Bolton’s Gary Cahill, Montpellier’s Bosnian international Emir Spahic and Werder Bremen’s Per Mertesacker are reported targets. But Germany star Mertesacker hardly has Arsenal uppermost in his thoughts.
\nHe said: “We are in a difficult moment with Werder and should not be talking about me at this time. I have told my agent he should leave me in peace.”
\nWenger, who watched Ipswich routed 7-0 in the FA Cup at Chelsea on Sunday, is looking at the Carling Cup as an ideal chance to get back on the silverware trail.
\nHe said: “Once you’re in the semi-final, you don’t want to go out. I see it as a possibility of a trophy and that’s how we will approach the game. “It’s a key month. But we are a competitive club and we relish competition.”
\nSource: The Sun<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ARSENE WENGER reckons Thierry Henry’s return could see his young Arsenal team bursting with extra confidence. As SunSport revealed on Monday, the club legend is training with his former side until January 19 before heading back for pre-season with New York Red Bulls. Henry, 33, who left for Barcelona in 2007, helped lift the atmosphere […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-273608","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n