Arsenal wonderkid was tipped to be Henry 2.0, but Edu sold him for just £4m

In terms of Arsenal’s best-ever ahead, there is just one reply: Thierry Henry.

The French magician joined the membership in 1999 and, alongside Arsène Wenger and another sensational gamers, helped to outline an period of English soccer.

In all, the previous Les Ulis-born phenom racked up a tally of 228 objectives and 96 assists in 37 appearances for the Gunners, and whereas no striker has been in a position to substitute him within the years since, the membership have had no less than just a few stand-out centre-forwards.

Nonetheless, Arteta would possibly properly have had his personal model of Henry had Edu Gaspar and Co not offered a highly-rated teenager for what now appears like pennies on the greenback in the summertime.

Arsenal’s finest strikers since Henry

It might be honest to say that the primary critically profitable striker Arsenal had within the years after Henry’s departure was Robin Van Persie.

The Dutchman is likely to be persona non grata on the Emirates right this moment due to his switch to Manchester United in 2012, however throughout his closing two campaigns with the membership, he was merely unstoppable, amassing a tally of twenty-two objectives and 7 assists in 33 video games in 2010/11, after which 37 objectives and 11 assists in 48 video games the next 12 months.

Following the departure of the Rotterdam-born poacher, Wenger and Co signed Olivier Giroud from Montpellier for simply £12m, and whereas he was by no means as prolific as RVP, he did take pleasure in a fairly profitable profession in North London.

For instance, in 253 appearances, throughout 5 and a half seasons, the World Cup winner scored 105 objectives, offered 37 assists and gained three FA Cups.

Nonetheless, in January 2018, the Chambéry-born marksman was offered to Chelsea to facilitate the signing of Borussia Dortmund star Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, who for a while was arguably the Gunners’ finest ahead since Henry.

The Gabonese worldwide hit the bottom working, changing into the quickest participant within the membership’s historical past to succeed in 50 Premier League objectives in July 2020 after which taking part in a pivotal function within the membership’s document 14th FA Cup triumph a month later.

Nonetheless, after signing a blockbuster new deal that September, the wheels began to return off, and following lacklustre type and fallings out with the supervisor, he was allowed to hitch Barcelona without cost in early 2022.

Since then, Arteta has used Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz up high, and whereas each gamers have had their moments, the previous has suffered far too many accidents and the latter nonetheless hasn’t completed sufficient to quell requires the membership to signal a brand new striker.

Sadly, Arteta might need already had his reply to these calls in a participant in comparison with Henry had Edu and Co not offered him in the summertime.

The previous Arsenal gem in comparison with Henry

Now, evaluating a younger ahead to a participant as sensationally gifted as Henry may very well be seen as unfair, however that was precisely what Solar journalist Jon Boon did with Mika Biereth in July 2021.

It was within the aftermath of Arsenal poaching the younger expertise from Fulham’s academy that Boon steered he ‘would possibly simply be the following Thierry Henry.’

Whereas that may sound slightly ridiculous, he did so as a result of, in simply 27 appearances for the Cottagers’ youth sides the season prior, the younger Dane had scored 22 objectives and offered 13 assists, and at that time, no Arsenal ahead had hit double figures for objectives and assists for the reason that nice Frenchman, till Bukayo Saka did a few years later.

The teenager would spend the next season with the Gunners’ youth sides, after which, within the 22/23 marketing campaign, he was despatched out on mortgage for the primary time to Dutch aspect RKC Waalwijk, however with simply two objectives in 12 appearances, it was not a profitable stint.

Thankfully, final season went much better for the younger ahead, as, throughout two spells, first with Motherwell after which with Sturm Graz, he racked up an excellent tally of 15 objectives and 9 assists in 37 appearances, which comes out to a mean of a purpose involvement each 1.54 video games, and was sufficient to persuade the Austrian aspect to spend £4m to make his transfer everlasting.

The “loopy” expertise, as dubbed by former GOAL reporter Robin Bairner, picked up the place he left off at first of the marketing campaign and, by January, had already scored 14 objectives and offered 5 assists in simply 25 appearances, which tempted AS Monaco to spend £10.8m plus £1.75m in add-ons on the younger Dane.

Since transferring to the French Riviera, the previous Arsenal prospect has gone from power to power and now appears like some of the in-form strikers in European soccer, scoring 11 objectives and offering three assists in 12 appearances, totalling 860 minutes, which works out to 1.16 purpose involvements each recreation, or one each 61.42 minutes.

Which means the participant Edu let go for a pittance in the summertime has managed to attain 25 objectives and supply eight assists in simply 37 appearances throughout two groups, which is a degree of output that Arteta may have used this 12 months.

In the end, whereas the membership might need felt like Biereth wasn’t going to be ok to play for Arsenal in the long run, it absolutely would have been a wise thought to have no less than given him an opportunity this 12 months, as his type at Monaco suggests he has what it takes to thrive in a high 5 league.