i'm gonna have to call BS on this one

[jegerpenge]

real don't want henry now. apparently having the best player in the world on your team is undesirable. isn't this exactly what they did, at almost the exact same time, with beckham and ronaldo saying they don't want him?

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/headlinenews?id=297803&cc=5901

[yossarian]

My thoughts exactly when I saw this story. But really, who knows what is going on over there. If they were smart they'd be going after defenders over the summer.

[Coach_McGuirk]

It makes me twice as nervous that they are denying that they want him. I miss the good old days when they said they would sign him. Then I knew he wasn't going.

[martymarts]

Agreed gentlemen. These are the most worrying statements ever to come out of Madrid???

[phishy]

april 21st.. ya, just about this time every year the Real rumours persist for someone we have.... business as usual....

meant to say I'd like to see morientes in our colours next season...

[Martin Daoust]

I would agree, but for several things-not the least of which is strangely enough The David Beckham situation. Henry is notorious for being protective of his privacy-to the point of turning down autograph requests while vacationing over here in recent times. He has also stated his loves the privacy he is allowed to live a (relatively) normal life in England and London and has expressed fears that he would have to sacrifice that to play elsewhere, particularly in Spain. The chaos in Beckham's life since going to Madrid can only reinforce those concerns, so I suspect that Henry would at best be very uncertain of such a move now.
And how does Real pay for the move? They do not have unlimited resources at all-anymore. The new Spanish Government is investigating the former right-wing government's financial backing of Real, specifically the purchase of Real's Training Ground or a portion of it for an outrageous sum. More worrying for Real, the European Commission or Union is investigating as well, which assures even if the right-wingers return to power in Madrid there will be serious trouble soon enough. Combine that with the money spent on recent purchases and the wage bill(Real have more players out on Loan than Arsenal or Chelsea combined). They simply cannot afford Henry realistically and hope to afford to stay at the top of Spanish or European football.
And why move to Madrid now anyway? Never mind Henry's self-professed happiness at Highbury(repeatedly so) - why leave? Real Are no further along in Europe than Arsenal at this point and less certain of winning La Liga than we are the Premiership now and in the immediate future. And a number of their top players are passing or past their peak now, while you are at a club where virtually every top player is just approaching their best footballing years now or younger yet than that with maybe two or three regulars in next year's team that are past that point-and only just really.(excepting Lehmann) It would truly seem, believe or not, that it would be a step BACKWARD for ANY Arsenal player to move to Real Madrid at this time, at least in a competitive sense, and in terms of the prospect for winning the European Cup as well as your domestic League and Cup(s). Only if Henry were singularly motivated by money or the idea of playing for Real Madrid would it make sense to move-and they don't have the money either for the wages or to afford a bid-and as for the idea Henry himself said "It is EASY to TURN DOWN Real Madrid..." Which would indicate he HAS as some point this year.
The only worrying thing there is did the Club approach Henry with the bid from Real and if so might the BOARD rather than Henry blink if the bid was somehow made and big enough(and that would seem at best an improbability in their current state). One would hope otherwise for certain. But other than the Board perhaps being anxious to cash in, it would seem there is no way Real will get their grubby paws on Thierry Henry...

[AjaxGunner]

meant to say I'd like to see morientes in our colours next season...

Maybe Perez is banking on AW wanting him too - trade and cash.

You can't blame Real for loaning out Morientes when they have the second best striker in the world and the club talisman at that position. (Oh, yeah, Monaco still in CL, Real not.) But my God, how far into lunacy would el presidente go with his transfer policy?

[juice013]

real don't want henry now. apparently having the best player in the world on your team is undesirable. isn't this exactly what they did, at almost the exact same time, with beckham and ronaldo saying they don't want him?

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/headlinenews?id=297803&cc=5901

Haven't they also said they don't want Ruud? He would be less expensive and they would probably have a better chance of convincing him to make the move, so maybe they're really after him.

[Catfish]

Real Madrid is just trying to keep the price down, by not drawing too much interest to TH14.

[dbergkamp10du]

ManU felt they could afford to get rid of Beckham. Arsenal have already said that they would not sell Henry for $100 million, back when Chelski made an offer for him earlier this year.

[Gunner Phan]

I don't think there is any amount of money that could buy Henry now. That would be like trading michael jordan during either of the three-peats or babe ruth (oops, sorry sox phans!). Henry is (IMHO) the greatest player on the planet right now and Arsenal would be dumber than Joe Dirt to let Henry leave London.

gp

[Coach_McGuirk]

Real Madrid is just trying to keep the price down, by not drawing too much interest to TH14.
Real saying that they have no interest in Henry will not affect the price in any way, because the brain trust at Arsenal know they are lying through their collective teeth in Madrid if they say they don't want Henry.

Ask any manager in the world if, with money being no object, he would want Henry on his squad. The time between you asking and him saying "YES!" is so small that it cannot be measured.

[VaVaVoom]

Arsenal would be dumber than Joe Dirt to let Henry leave London.

gp

I hope that doesn't mean it's OK to let him go to Chelsea!??! :rolleyes:

[Gunner Phan]

I was kind of hoping it would be Tottenham (JUST KIDDING!)

No, I definitely don't want him to leave ARSENAL.

gp

p.s.- phishy...2 things...I also would love to see Morientes in Arsenal colors next season (my mouth is watering just thinking about it!) and if you would like copies of phish's vegas run on disc, I would be happy hook you up!

[Its only Ray Parlour]

*Yawn* :rolleyes: