The reaction to his departure in the Arsenal dressing-room is not as negative as you might believe. Just as Patrick Vieira, Marc Overmars, Emmanuel Petit and Nicolas Anelka were shown the door when Wenger was convinced they had served their time, so Henry, it is claimed, has only been allowed to leave because the manager decided the time was right.Some sources even claim Wenger feared that his younger players might be intimidated by the presence of a man of Henry's superstar status. In public, Wenger will remain respectful when he speaks for the first time about the transfer tomorrow and acknowledges the huge contribution Henry has made to the club, a period in which the Frenchman won two Premiership titles, the FA Cup twice and appeared in Champions League and UEFA Cup finals.
But in the privacy of the London Colney training ground and in the dressingroom at the Emirates Stadium, several sources testify that Wenger has made what he regards as a strategic decision. Henry's presence, it is alleged, had become an unstable influence, with young players fearful of not being able to match his standards. As a result, the team atmosphere was said to be, at times, extraordinarily tense.
A few, such as Robin van Persie, could be seen talking back during games. But many of the youngsters seemed to have become inhibited in their play. Just as Sir Alex Ferguson recently admitted that Roy Keane's departure allowed Cristiano Ronaldo to thrive, so Wenger is said to hope that losing Henry may permit youth to blossom.
Last November, Wenger admitted publicly that sometimes Henry could be too aggressive in his treatment of young team-mates and that he had to calm down. But there was little improvement and Henry's season was then marred by groin and stomach injuries. It appears that Wenger decided as early as February, when he declined to use Henry for the 2-1 defeat in the Carling Cup final against Chelsea, that if a renewed offer came from Barcelona, he would consider it. His judgment may yet be proved wrong but there is no doubt that Wenger,who led negotiations with Barca's finance director, Ferran Soriano, drove a deal which will be sealed after tomorrow's medical.
The manager's long-term future remains unclear, as is that of a club which is being stalked by US tycoon Stan Kroenke, who owns 12.19 per cent of Arsenal and whose interest precipitated the boardroom rift that prompted Dein's departure. For now, though, Wenger is master of all he surveys at the plush but costly Emirates Stadium and he will remain next season. His new contract is unlikely to be signed until the autumn, by which stage he may have a better idea of the club's future. A recent meeting between Kroenke and his initially hostile boardroom adversaries, chairman Peter Hill-Wood and managing director Keith Edelman, van Persie and Emmanuel Adebayor as the only two proven strikers.
Arsenal have lined up two potential replacements to fill the gap Henry leaves and hope to be able to announce the signings in the next two weeks. One is an experienced striker, to shoulder some responsibility for the young squad Wenger is developing, the other a younger forward less well known in England.
Barcelona £39 Samuel Eto £39 would be first choice — Wenger has in the past gone out of his way to praise the Cameroon striker — but Barca, for now, are not interested. Juventus's David Trezeguet is available and would fit the bill but Atletico Madrid's Fernando Torres would not. The club regard the Spaniard as too expensive at £30m, and no better than their own youngsters.
Lyon's Florent Malouda, available for £15m, is a potential target. He is primarily a left winger, but so was Henry when he joined Arsenal eight years ago.
