Arsenal announce Henry departure

Arsenal have confirmed they have reached an agreement with Barcelona for the transfer of striker Thierry Henry.




The deal, thought to be worth about £16m to the Gunners, is subject to the Frenchman, 29, passing a medical, which is set to take place on Monday.
Henry had already announced he intended to end his eight-year stay at Arsenal to sign a four-year deal with Barca.
"I still must pass a medical on Monday but yes, I have chosen Barcelona," he told French sports daily L'Equipe.


Earlier, Barcelona revealed that they were close to bringing Henry to the Nou Camp, with vice-president Ferran Soriano telling Spanish sports newspaper Marca that talks were at an "advanced" stage.
Soriano added it was "the wish of all parties" for an agreement to be reached for the transfer of Henry.


He also insisted that Barcelona waited for the green light from Arsenal before making a move for the France international, who is the club's all-time record goalscorer.


Henry said:


" I will miss the Arsenal fans dearly, they have supported me through thick and thin. They will always be in my heart, as will all the fans who make the game here so special. I will always have a special bond with Arsenal Football Club."


"Barcelona are a wonderful club steeped in tradition and play beautiful football. I'm sure I will be very happy there," he continued.




Henry helped Arsenal to two league titles and three FA Cups and led the Gunners to the finals of the 2000 Uefa Cup and 2006 Champions League.


In February 2006, he became the first Arsenal player to score over 200 goals for the club, with a strike against Birmingham, and has bagged a club record 226 goals in 364 appearances for the Gunners.


His consistency in front of goal ensured he finished as the Premier League's top scorer on four occasions.


He has won the Professional Footballers' Association player of the year title on two occasions and the football writers' player of the year three times. He has also twice finished runner-up in the Fifa world player of the year.