Thierry Henry wants Arsenal to go for the jugular, urging Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta to build on the success they’ve delivered to the Emirates Stadium.
Thierry Henry believes Arsenal need to ‘adjust and evolve’ to build a dynasty at the Emirates Stadium. Last season, with the leadership of Mikel Arteta on the sidelines and the expertise of Andrea Berta in the boardroom, the Gunners won the Premier League for the first time in over 20 years.
After long hours on the training pitch, well over £900million of investment in new players, and three years of heartbreak, the Spaniard finally led Arsenal to glory. Despite dethroning Manchester City as the new champions of England, defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final has left Henry hungry for more silverware.
In an interview with Betway, the Gunners legend warned Arteta and Betra that they need to build on the success to remain competitive. Henry said: “I said at the start of the season that this was the first time I could see us winning the league, and I didn’t stutter when I said we must win it.
“Before, there was something missing, but this year they made it happen. Why? Time, investing the right way, and finally, I can relate to the team. There’s something there – the fighting spirit, the big moments – that you can relate to.
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“Now you have to build on it. It’s very important to see what you need to add in order to stay competitive. It’s also another thing when everyone wants to destroy you, and everyone wants to take that title away from you.
“If you don’t start well, people are going to question the same things all season again,” added Henry, who then suggested that Arsenal should take a leaf out of Manchester City’s book.
The Frenchman pointed out that Pep Guardiola’s side almost caught the Gunners in the title race, having gone unbeaten with Marc Guehi, whom they signed from Crystal Palace in January, in the starting lineup.
Manchester City also signed Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth at the start of the year, although he lost on his first outing in the Premier League. The 26-year-old winger then suffered the second defeat of the English top-flight campaign with his new club on the final day, but Arsenal had already won the title.
Henry continued: “Adjusting and evolving at the top is key. This is a crucial year because you need to know who’s going to come in, who needs to go, and you need to make the right choices.
“We’ve seen teams who thought that players were going to come and make them better, but it takes time to adjust to the Premier League. If you look at Man City, they went to get Marc Guehi and Antoine Semenyo, and that was always going to work because they knew the tempo of the Premier League.
“They didn’t lose a game in the league after those two joined, so however you want to look at it, that was a plus. So what are Arsenal going to do? Getting someone that can adapt straight away to the Premier League and have an instant impact in a team that just won the league is not always easy.
“But that’s what the sporting director and Mikel Arteta are there for, to find the right pieces to make sure that we can stay where we are, and more.”
