JOAN LAPORTE gave Pep Guardiola his big break at Barcelona – now he believes Arsenal should follow suit with Thierry Henry.
The former Barca president is convinced Arsene Wenger should call it a day at the Emirates and that Henry is the ideal man to take over.
Laporta was at Catalan giants’ helm when Henry moved from north London in 2007 for £21million.
And now he believes the time is right for the Frenchman to take a crack at the Premier League again… at management level.
Laporta told the Telegraph: “The same requirements we were appreciating in Pep Guardiola when we decided to put him as a coach of the first team, Thierry has many of them.
“If he wants to become a coach and more specifically wants to coach Arsenal, then it is because he is convinced he will do it very well because he is looking for excellence all the time…
“Just as when he was a player.
“He knows football, as one of the best players in the world. These kinds of people, like Pep Guardiola and Johan Cruyff, they know very well football.
NO 1 AND ONLY David De Gea is United’s ‘only world-class player’, insists Gary Neville
“They don’t need the extended period maybe that other coaches need to be a great coach.
“He knows Arsenal, the supporters, the club and he’s a guy that deserves everything he would like to achieve.
“I believe he could be a very good coach.
“For him, with his reputation, it’s not acceptable to fail.”
How to win £1MILLION with Sun Six
SUN SIX is the new predictor game where you can win £1million – just by correctly picking the results of six games.
Here is how to get your mitts on the million:
- Make your picks – predict the scores from these six games
- Enter your details – quickly sign up to Sun Bets so we can contact you
- Score £1m – Watch the scores roll in and you can win £1m
Top pundits IAN WRIGHT and DANNY HIGGINBOTHAM have made their picks for this week if you need a steer.
And remember, you can claim a free £30 bet with Sun Bets when you sign up put a tenner on this weekend’s football here.
Should the Arsenal manager’s post not come Henry’s way, Laporta believes the Gunners’ record goalscorer would still be a good fit for other roles within the club.
He added: “It’s always been my opinion that Barcelona should produce players but, at the same time, we should produce coaches for our first team in order to maintain our style.
MOST READ IN FOOTBALL
“That’s an advantage Thierry would have with Arsenal over many other coaches.”
Arsenal, thrashed 3-0 by Manchester City on Sunday in the Carabao Cup final, face Guardiola’s men again at the Emirates on Thursday.
Another loss for Wenger and the knives could really be out with Henry, maybe, ready to step in his former boss’s shoes.
Leave a comment