Arsene Wenger plucked a young and disillusioned Henry from Juventus in 1999 to replace the outgoing Nicolas Anelka. He was already a World Cup winner with France but his once promising career was threatening to fall into disrepair. What followed his arrival in North London would go on to be the making of a genuine Premier League legend.

In the years between 2002 and 2006, Thierry Henry was a footballing force close to unstoppable. His pace, skill and vision was often the downfall of even Europe’s finest defences. As a result, Arsenal reached uncharted heights with Henry at the forefront of everything that was good about Wenger’s side.

Times have undoubtedly changed. Arsenal are no longer the irresistible force of old and Henry is likely battle-hardened and weary. He now plies his trade in the footballing wilderness of the MLS and that blistering pace that once defined his career is likely a thing of the past. Nevertheless, a reunion of the prodigal son and his first football love makes sense for all involved.

Arsenal have seldom faced a greater struggle to retain there place among English football’s elite. Henry’s arrival will reinvigorate the squad and provide much needed back-up for the irrepressible Robin van Persie. An acceptance by Henry that he is no longer the main man will have been at the forefront of this deal, as will Wenger’s knowledge that he gains a player who is in the twilight of his record-breaking career.

Whilst it would be naive to suggest that Henry will stroll back into the Emirates as the same player that left all those years ago, there is also a case for saying his presence will never diminish, and Arsenal need sweet inspiration now more than ever.

Here is a man who is considered by many to be the greatest player in Premier League history. He boasts a CV including two Premier League’s, three FA Cups, two La Liga’s, a Copa Del Rey, a World Cup, a Champions League and a European Championship. Few players in the modern era have achieved what Henry has. Yet, at 34, there is a sense that Arsenal need Henry the man even more than they need Henry the player.

Since his departure in 2007, Arsenal have suffered a crisis of confidence in pivotal moments that has played a key role in the recent lack of silver in the Emirates Stadium trophy room.

Henry defined an era when Arsenal dared to challenge Manchester United as the ultimate Premier League power. To ask him to recreate the magic of his first spell at the club would likely be a step too far for even the most romantic of fans.

Big name returns often ignite the most passionate of opinions, and Henry has proved no different. To some it is seen as a desperate act by Wenger, who is struggling to adapt to the modern landscape and yearns for a time when Arsenal were unstoppable and the stars lined up in their numbers.

Others have heralded the return of ‘The King’, awaiting his second coming with great joy. Suddenly, it looks fun to be an Arsenal fan again. While it can be argued that Wenger has gone back to the future by re-signing Henry, there is also a case for saying that even at 34, the once brilliant Frenchman could still offer Arsenal a more poignant option in attack than the forlorn Marouane Chamakh or Ji-Young Park.

Whatever your view it can’t be argued that the Premier League has rarely, if ever, seen a star like Henry in his heyday and his return will be for the greater good of not just Arsenal but the wider game in this country.

Sometimes football logic goes out of the window and heart rules head.

Henry may yet come back as a painful shadow of the player we once knew and loved or he could prove one of the signings of the season, but whatever the outcome protect his legacy with fierce loyalty because although we live in changing times Thierry Henry’s name is etched in pantheons of those that are untouchable in English football’s glorious history.

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