LONDON, England, January 10 – Thierry Henry is determined to extend his Arsenal goalscoring record after making a fairytale return for the Londoners in the FA Cup victory over Leeds.
The 34-year-old delighted the Emirates on Monday by scoring the winner in his first game since rejoining the Premier League giants on a two-month loan deal from the New York Red Bulls.
Henry, Arsenal’s all-time leading goalscorer who recently had a statue erected outside the Emirates in his honour, is now hoping to add to his tally as the Gunners battle on three fronts.
“I never thought I was going to play for Arsenal again or score a winner,” Henry said. “I love the club and I hope I can do more.
“I hope it won’t be the last one. The feeling I had when I scored was amazing.”
“I rejoined the club as a fan; before I wasn’t. Scoring a goal when you support the team, now I know how some of the guys who played for Liverpool or Man United or Chelsea felt when they scored a goal for the club they support.
“When it comes to Arsenal something happens with me, sometimes in a bad way, but most of the time in history in a good way.”
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger described Henry’s return as a “little bit of a dream.”
“It was a little bit of a dream, because it was a story about football you would tell some young children,” Wenger said. “Unfortunately it is not often like that in our game, but sometimes it happens.”
Meanwhile, midfielder Francis Coquelin has signed a new long-term contract with the Premier League side, it was announced Tuesday.
Arsenal said on their website that the 20-year-old’s future at the club was now assured following completion of the deal.
“Everyone at Arsenal looks forward to Francis’ continued contribution to the club in the years to come,” a statement said without revealing the length of the contract.
Coquelin, 20, has made 12 appearances for Arsenal this season after spending last year on loan with French side Lorient.
