He had time – Thierry Henry questions Mikel Arteta failure to sign a number nine
The north London club finished second behind Premier League champions Liverpool this season and failed to add to the single trophy – the 2020 FA Cup – won by Arteta during his five-and-a-half-year reign to date.
While acknowledging that fitness problems had played a part, the Gunners' record goalscorer highlighted the lack of a number nine as a key issue.
A post shared by The Overlap (@wearetheoverlap)
Henry told the Overlap Stick to Football podcast: 'When you look at the injuries and you look at the players that came, OK, he brought players – he got [Raheem] Sterling when everyone wanted a nine. He had time to get a nine, he had time.
'I'm not the coach, I don't know how the discussion… everyone has been screaming for a nine – apart from when we win, by the way. When we beat Real Madrid, we didn't need a nine. No, you do need a nine.'
Arsenal have been linked repeatedly with Newcastle's Alexander Isak – the Magpies' Champions League qualification is likely to make that even more difficult – and also Sporting Lisbon frontman Viktor Gyokeres and RB Lepzig's Benjamin Sesko.
However, Henry, a 1998 World Cup winner with France, believes Atletico Madrid's former Manchester City hitman Julian Alvarez could be the answer to their problems.
He said: 'One of my favourite nines out there at the minute is Julian Alvarez. We've been talking about it, putting pressure, playing alone, low, whatever you want to do. Did you see the free-kick he scored the other day?
'He can hold the ball alone, he played at the Olympic Games, he played in the Copa America. I don't hear him saying, 'I'm tired' or not tired. Hopefully nothing bad is going to happen to him. He's played everything and the way he plays, I just like him.'
Arteta's relative lack of silverware at the end of a season during which Newcastle and Crystal Palace claimed the domestic cups and Tottenham were triumphant in the Europa League has raised questions, and while Henry continues to back the Spaniard, he knows that drought cannot continue.
Asked about what Arteta has built, the 47-year-old said admitted he was doing a 'great job', but added: 'Manchester United played five finals in the last five years. The United that everyone laughs at played five finals.
'In the last three years of building that building, you didn't reach a final, so I do understand when people ask the question. Surely you should compete for a trophy, being in the final?'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
10 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
David Beckham's halfway line strike and goals galore from Wayne Rooney and Ruud van Nistelrooy - £62.5m new boy Matheus Cunha has big boots to fill as Man United's latest No 10
Matheus Cunha is set to take the storied No 10 shirt off Marcus Rashford after completing his £62.5million move to Old Trafford. The Brazilian will become the latest in a long line of players to wear the hallowed jersey. In the Premier League era, 10 other players have taken on the mantle. Prior to 1993, the likes of George Best, Sir Bobby Charlton, and Denis Law all wore the No 10 during a time when fixed squad numbers were not around. Back in the day, shirt Nos 1 to 11 were typically assigned based on starting position. But now, they have a story behind them - it's the players who define the number, not the other way round. Some of United's greatest players have graced the No 10 and bestowed it with unique meaning and pressure. And here, Mail Sport looks back at every Red Devil to try it on in the Premier League era. Mark Hughes (1993-95) The first season of the Premier League in 1992-93 saw no allocated squad numbers. However, Mark Hughes often wore this No. And when they became allocated in 1993-94, this famous No became his. Those two season yielded his customary goals and trophies during United's dominance that decade. He scored 34 goals in 100 games in all competitions over those two seasons alone - with the Red Devils winning a Premier League and FA Cup Double in 1993-94. After Hughes left the club, the No was vacant for a season until the man below took it... David Beckham (1996-97) For a whole generation, David Beckham is a stylish figure whose free-kicks they tried desperately to emulate in parks and streets across the nation; kids contorting their bodies into unnatural positions in a vain attempt to meet the ball in the right place and 'bend it like Beckham'. Before sporting the iconic No 7, Beckham had a short stint with the No 10 on his back. It was with this shirt that he made his first steps to becoming a household name, with a spectacular halfway line strike against Wimbledon on the opening day of the 1996-97 season. The midfielder found the back of the net from 57 yards out, a goal which was later voted as the 18th greatest sporting moment ever by the British public, in a poll conducted by Channel 4. Beckham won six Premier League titles with the Red Devils and scored 85 goals in 394 appearances. While these numbers aren't too shabby, we all know his impact extended past the stat sheet. If Cunha could emulate half of what Beckham did at United, he would go down in the club's history forever. Teddy Sheringham (1997-2001) Following Eric Cantona's shock retirement in 1997, Teddy Sheringham had big boots to fill up front for United. He joined from Tottenham for £3.5m, and wore the No 10 for the entirety of his tenure at Old Trafford until 2001. During this time, he made 153 appearances and scored 46 goals, the most important of which came in the 1999 Champions League final. The 6ft 1in striker came off the bench to score an equaliser against Bayern Munich in added time, before Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's winning goal clinched a historic treble for United just moments later. During his tenure, Sheringham won three Premier League titles, while his most prolific goalscoring season came in his swansong year at the club, when he scored 15 goals. To think he'd struggle to make the best three players on this list says a lot about the history of United's No 10 shirt. Ruud van Nistelrooy (2001-06) Ruud van Nistelrooy can't technically be called a 'proper No 9' because his goalscoring antics at United were performed with the No 10 draped on the back of his shirt - but you get the point. In his debut season at the club, the Dutchman netted 23 goals in 32 league games, scoring in eight consecutive matches, and was named the PFA Players' Player of the Year. Barring an injury-ridden 2004-05 campaign, Van Nistelrooy scored 20 or more goals in every Premier League season he played in. He departed Old Trafford after five seasons with a total of 150 goals in 219 appearances, and four more trophies to his name, including a Premier League title. Out of every player on this list, a player like Van Nistelrooy might be what the current United are screaming out for the most. Wayne Rooney (2007-2017) Having been given the No 8 when he arrived from Everton in 2005, Wayne Rooney switched to the No 10 ahead of the 2007-08 season. And it was with the double digits on his back that he performed most of the work which cemented him as one of United's greatest ever players - perhaps their greatest. After making the change, Rooney won four Premier League titles, an FA Cup, a Champions League and more. The former club captain is United's all-time top goalscorer with 253 goals in 559 games. Rooney's legacy goes unspoken. He embodied everything it meant to play for United, not just wear the No 10 shirt. He was a real fan favourite, and a paragon which the club have been begging for since his exit. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (2017-18) Zlatan Ibrahimovic initially donned the No 9 when he joined United on a free transfer from PSG in 2016. In his first season, he proved why he was still one of Europe's most dangerous frontmen, scoring 28 goals in 46 games. His season was cut short by an ACL injury sustained in April 2017, but he was still instrumental in leading United to an EFL Cup and a Europa League title. Yet, in spite of all of his self-aggrandisement, which saw him refer to himself as a lion or even as 'Zlatan' in the third person, Father Time claimed victory over the seemingly indomitable Ibrahimovic. He wore the No 10 in his second season, which was derailed by his knee injury, meaning he only made seven appearances in all competitions and scored just once. Consequently, the Swede's contract was terminated by mutual consent in March 2018. Marcus Rashford (2018-2025) Few Carrington graduates have burst onto the scene quite like Marcus Rashford did. He made his mark after being called up at the eleventh hour to replace Anthony Martial in a Europa League game against Midtjylland in 2016. Rashford scored a brace in that game, then another against Arsenal just days later. Given the No 10 shirt in 2018, Rashford was tipped to join the ranks of club icons. While spells of brilliance have punctuated his time at Old Trafford, including a 30-goal campaign in 2022-23, too many seasons have passed where he's just been off it. For every dazzling spell of form, there has been an equal stretch of anonymity. In fairness to him, he didn't choose to get chucked into United's worst era in Premier League history. Whether time will be kind to Rashford's legacy is yet to be seen. He's won two FA Cups, two EFL Cups and a Europa League title. In 426 games, the forward has scored 138 goals and is United's 13th all-time top goalscorer.
Scottish Sun
17 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Scottish Premiership ace swaps Scotland for MEXICO as he's spotted training alongside World Cup-winning Real Madrid icon
DUNDEE midfielder Fin Robertson has flown to Mexico to train with Spanish legend Sergio Ramos. The 22-year-old is training with Dark Blues partner club C.F Monterrey as part of their link-up arrangement. Advertisement 3 Dundee midfielder Fin Robertson Credit: Kenny Ramsay 3 Sergio Ramos with the ball in training Credit: CF Monterrey 3 World Cup winner Sergio Ramos in action for Monterrey Credit: Getty Ramos, who won the 2010 World Cup as well as two European Championships as part of the iconic Spain side, joined former Real Madrid star Sergio Canales and Argentine hero Lucas Ocampos in South America earlier this year. Robertson will train with those top stars for a spell during the summer before heading back to Scotland to be part of Steven Pressley's new-look squad at Dens Park. Dundee formed a partner agreement with Monterrey last season, taking midfielder Cesar Garza on loan as well as winger Victor Lopez. Speaking about the partnership at the time, chairman Tim Keyes said: 'We are extremely excited for the partnership between Dundee FC and CF Monterrey. Advertisement "Monterrey is one of the premier teams in Liga MX with an abundance of talented players and a first-class management team. Despite being on different continents, the culture and approach to developing young talent is very similar between the two clubs. "We look forward to this agreement providing great benefits to both clubs over the coming year." Dundee chief John Nelms, who also has a player share agreement with Burnley, has been eager to make ties with clubs across the globe. And that has benefitted Robertson, who will learn from the ex-international stars as part of his development. Advertisement Robertson scored seven goals in 37 games for the Dark Blues last season, and will be looking to step up in place of Lyall Cameron who has joined Rangers. Meanwhile, Dundee boss Steven Pressley has made signing up skipper Joe Shaughnessy a top priority. Iconic Scottish boss Jim Duffy opens up on nearly signing Paul Gascoigne for DUNDEE, friendship with GIanluca Vialli and arriving at Hibs via helicopter The 32-year-old is one of several out-of-contract Dee stars, with Josh Mulligan - a target for Charlton - Mo Sylla, Antonio Portales and Scott Tiffoney all free agents this summer. St Johnstone's Drey Wright is set to become Pressley's first signing after agreeing a deal at Dens following his side's relegation. Advertisement Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
Daily Mirror
21 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Premier League club could be kicked out of Europe as UEFA reject proposal
Crystal Palace could miss out on European football as UEFA sticks rigidly to their regulations which could cost the Eagles - who have tried to navigate the multi-club ownership rules Crystal Palace face the prospect of missing out on Europe after UEFA rejected a solution from their owners as they continue to fight the multi-club ownership rules which could cost them next season. The FA Cup winners have earned passage into the Europa League, but concerns over their ownership could see them miss out a maiden season on the continent. Eagles shareholders John Textor and David Blitzer want to put their shares in a blind trust to ensure the club can compete in Europe next season - but UEFA claim their move is too late. Textor is also the majority owner of Lyon, who have qualified for the Europa League along with Palace. Another blow has come in the form of Blitzer's Danish club Brondby qualifying for the Conference League - meaning there is no scope for Palace to drop down into that tournament instead. Palace executives, including Textor and the chairman, Steve Parish, met UEFA officials in Nyon on Tuesday to try to find a solution - but failed to find an agreement, reports The Guardian. Europe's governing body insists they cannot show any leniency with their rules being honoured. The plan to put Textor's shares into a blind trust cannot be considered as he has missed the deadline to do so. UEFA rules state that such ownership changes must take place before 1 March to take effect in time for the following season. Manchester City and Manchester United both used blind trusts to remain compliant with UEFA's multi-club rules last season. Their partner clubs, Girona and Nice, also qualified for the Champions League and Europa League respectively. It was also an issue for Nottingham Forest owner, Evangelos Marinakis, who has transferred his shares given his Greek club Olympiacos have qualified for next season's Champions League. Palace's failure to foresee the potential issue now looks set to cost them dear. Back on March 1 when the changes needed to be made the Eagles were sitting in mid-table and hadn't even made the fifth round of the FA Cup - meaning Europe wasn't on their radar. Even then they were not seen as among the favourites for the FA Cup before downing Aston Villa in the semi-finals and then shocking Manchester City in the final with Eberechi Eze scoring the winner. Landing European football was a major coup, but it could be over before it starts. Manager Oliver Glasner said after their Wembley success: 'We said before the game that we wanted to write our own history and we have written a big chapter in our history, and next year we will do that again when we play in Europe."
