But all of these fishiness surrounding Wenger's boys deserting him were put to an end all of a sudden. Eyebrows raised as Arsene Wenger got back his old 'knight' back on to the turf. No doughnuts for guessing, Thierry Henry is back in action for Arsenal on a 2 months' loan for New York Red Bulls.
To add to the joy of all the well-wishers of Arsenal, Henry kept up to the hopes of his mentor and previous coach the moment he took the pitch on Monday. He scored the winning goal for the Gunners in a matter of just 10 minutes against Leeds United in an FA Cup clash. This was his 227th goal for Arsenal and nothing else could be more rewarding for the club, the coach and the fans.
After the match he told a channel: "It's kind of weird, I only came back from holiday in Mexico 15 days ago, I never thought I was going to be playing for Arsenal again and then score the winner. The feeling I had when I scored was amazing, I've rejoined the club as a fan, I just wanted to come and help the team, and then I end up as man of the match - it wasn't my plan to be a hero. I'll always remember tonight. When it comes to Arsenal, something happens to me."
Henry has proved his talent on several outings for Arsenal in the eight years between 1999 and 2007. He was a part of the Arsenal team which won the league title in 2001-02 season and the 2003-04 season. By the end of the 2003-04 season, he had become an essential match-winner for the Gunners. No one can forget the way he used to kick in those goals to frustrate many a teams. His status as one of the finest footballers of the world was reaffirmed when he became the runner-up of the 2003 FIFA World Player of the Year award.
Next season however, was a jarring contrast. It dented all that the Gunners' wonder-boy had achieved. Henry was down with injuries and could not play for the club in most of the appearances in the season. But Wenger kept up his hopes on the return of his blue-eyed boy. But in an unexpected turn of events, Henry moved to Barcelona on June 25, 2007.
After being with the Catalans for 3 years and being with the New York Red Bulls since 2010, he is back to his 'old camp' to repair the current state of affairs here and reaffirm Wenger's faith in his abilities.
Even though Arsenal have had a mixed season this year with big losses against strong teams and some wins against the weaker ones, Henry's return to the club and his match-winning goal against Leeds United in FA Cup would definitely give a great boost to Wenger and his boys. Well-wishers can hope for magic of years gone by, being woven again by the man's golden foot. For now, most of the fans believe that Wenger has brought back his saviour knight out of the grave.