Football
ESPN staff 7y

Thierry Henry on replacing Arsene Wenger as Arsenal boss: 'I don't know'

Arsenal's all-time leading goalscorer Thierry Henry has refused to rule out the possibility of becoming the club's manager should Arsene Wenger vacate his position at the end of the season.

Henry, 39, is widely considered as the best striker to have played for the Gunners and holds the record with 228 goals in all competitions, after eight trophy-laden years with the English giants.

Wenger's tactics have been called into question in recent months after losing four of their last five league matches and exiting the Champions League round of 16 at the hands of Bayern Munich.

The Frenchman is out of contract this summer, and it remains to be seen if he will sign an extension or leave the club.

Henry, who currently serves as assistant coach to Roberto Martinez with the Belgium national team said that he has no right to replace Wenger just because of what he achieved during his playing career.

"I just try to gather information, a lot of information, to perhaps eventually be a good coach," Henry told Canal Plus. "But it's not an objective. I've never set a goal in my head.

"I would like to be a coach, and I'll do everything to be that, but I don't say to myself that I'll be a coach in two years or that I'll be a coach in a year. I don't know. Now, I'm in a learning phase."

On the prospect of becoming Arsenal boss, Henry added: "Yes, but it's not up to me. There are things you have to respect. When I say I want to coach them ... it's the club of my heart, yes, but that doesn't mean you have a right, that it's due to you.

"I hear [my name linked to replacing Arsene Wenger], but it's difficult for me to talk about that -- once again I come back to the same thing -- I have enormous respect for the coach and what he has done.

"People are going to speak, you can't stop people speaking. I'm preparing myself with the Belgium team. Will I be ready or not ready? I don't know, no-one knows. I have to learn the job."

ESPN FC's France correspondent, Ian Holyman, contributed to this report.

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