NY Red Bulls: No Henry loan. Yet.

There is mounting speculation that Thierry Henry could return to Arsenal for a third spell and for a second time on loan from New York Red Bulls.

However, the MLS side have played it down with a club official telling mlssoccer.com, “No club has made a request for a loan for any of our players.”

It might well be that the formalities have yet to be started by Arsenal, and it’s believed that Arsene Wenger sounded out Henry over the last few weeks over his willingness to repeat his successful cameo of last season.

But while Henry will always have a special place in the heart of all Arsenal fans, perhaps the solutions to Gunners striking issues need to be a bit more permanent and at 36 Henry’s legs are not what they were.

Speaking to gunnerblog.com, journalist and author of a fantastic new Henry biography, Philippe Auclair, said he hoped any loan deal would not go through.

“I hope that’s not the case,” he said. “The final chapter was written, and beautifully, last year. There’s no way that a Thierry in his 36^th year can do better than what he did eleven months ago, especially when the club has more attacking options than was the case in 2011-12. He would in no case represent a ‘solution’; whereas last year, given the van Persie-dependance, he could make a difference at times.

“I genuinely don’t look forward to another ‘return of the King’.”

You get the feeling that perhaps Wenger wants another lieutenant in the dressing room, but maybe an Henry loan, on top of some additional, more long-term, quality would be a fine compromise.

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