Arsenal legend Thierry Henry tipped to re-join club as coach under Mikel Arteta

Thierry Henry and Mikel Arteta share a laugh during an interview at pitchside
Thierry Henry and Mikel Arteta were briefly teammates at Arsenal (Image credit: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

From Sir Matt Busby's second stint at Manchester United to Sir Kenny Dalglish's return to Liverpool, bringing back a beloved club icon can be a bit of a boost to fans in times of unrest.

And Nigel Winterburn believes Arsenal could do with that kind of tonic after the Gunners endured a disappointing season in which they finished a distant second to Premier League champions Liverpool.

Mikel Arteta's side had fallen narrowly short of Manchester City over the previous two seasons, and were hoping last term might finally deliver their first league title since their 2003/04 Invincibles season.

Mikel Arteta should bring Thierry Henry back for fourth Arsenal spell - Nigel Winterburn

Thierry Henry, on loan from New York Red Bulls, scores for Arsenal against Leeds United in the FA Cup in January 2012.

Thierry Henry returned for a loan spell with Arsenal in 2012 (Image credit: Getty Images)

Thierry Henry was a key part of that side, scoring 30 of his 175 league goals for the club that season.

The legendary forward – ranked at no.1 in FourFourTwo's list of the greatest Premier League players of all time – hung up his boots in 2014 to move into coaching, starting with a stint in Arsenal's academy.

Thierry Henry in the dugout as France U21 manager

Thierry Henry was most recently in charge of France U21s (Image credit: Getty Images)

From there, Henry went on to serve as Roberto Martinez' assistant in the Belgian national team over two stints sandwiching spells in charge or Monaco and Montral Impact.

Henry was most recently in charge of France under-21s, which included a run to the final of last year's Paris Olympics.

France had to settle for silver after losing to Spain in the final, however, and Henry stepped down following the tournament.

Winterburn now believes Arteta should consider bringing Henry back to the Emirates Stadium to sit under his learning tree...possibly with a view to taking over from the Spaniard one day.

Nigel Winterburn celebrates with Ian Wright and Dennis Bergkamp during their Arsenal days

Nigel Winterburn won three league titles with Arsenal

Winterburn told BetVictor: "From the legends of Arsenal, Thierry Henry is the one that in an ideal world he would one day go on to manage the club.

"There will always be that link, Arsenal also took a chance on Mikel Arteta from Manchester City and it’s worked out well.

"I’d love to see Henry working under Arteta at Arsenal, he could come in and have a big role, but who knows if he wants to forge his own path and manage another big club.

"You have to be careful of times with legends of the club and make sure they have earned it in their own right, but supporters would absolutely love it."

Steven Chicken

Steven Chicken has been working as a football writer since 2009, taking in stints with Football365 and the Huddersfield Examiner. Steven still covers Huddersfield Town home and away for his own publication, WeAreTerriers.com. Steven is a two-time nominee for Regional Journalist of the Year at the prestigious British Sports Journalism Awards, making the shortlist in 2020 and 2023.

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