Reflecting on Arsenal’s Historic Invincibles and Thierry Henry’s Departure

London, England – Arsenal Football Club’s remarkable achievement of going an entire Premier League season unbeaten in 2003-04 remains a historic milestone in English football. However, just a few years following this triumph, significant changes occurred, including the departure of key player Thierry Henry to FC Barcelona in the summer of 2007.

Henry, Arsenal’s all-time leading goal scorer, left North London for a fee reportedly near £16 million at the age of 29. In an exclusive interview, former Arsenal managing director Keith Edelman explained the reasoning behind the sale. “The reason Thierry moved on was because he was losing his speed. His game was basically all about speed. If you lose your speed, then you’re dead,” Edelman stated.

He further compared Henry’s situation to that of fellow player Kevin De Bruyne and raised the question of whether it would have been wiser to sell him for a higher price before a potential dip in performance. “We got money for him despite the fact that he was on the downward path,” he added.

During his tenure at Barcelona, Henry enjoyed considerable success, helping the team secure two La Liga titles, a Copa del Rey, a UEFA Champions League title, and more. Meanwhile, Arsenal faced a significant drought in major trophies, going nine years without one until their FA Cup victory in 2014.

Much of this failure to win silverware after the Invincible season was attributed to the exodus of several key players, including Patrick Vieira and Robert Pires, to make way for less expensive, younger talent. Edelman attributed this strategy to Arsenal’s precarious financial situation, emphasizing the importance of retaining world-class players for sustained success.

<p“Building a team goes in waves. If you've got money, you could keep a team going longer,” he said. “I’d argue there are probably only 20 world-class players in the entire Premier League, which is a very small number. Therefore, replacing world-class players is very difficult.”

Edelman highlighted the unique circumstance of the Invincibles team, stating, “Arsenal were really lucky because they had Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, Robert Pires, Sol Campbell, and Gilberto Silva — there were five world-class players.”