Arsene Wenger has revealed he originally intended to pair Thierry Henry with Nicolas Anelka at Arsenal.
Both Frenchmen joined the Gunners in the early years of Wenger’s time at the Emirates.
However, Henry’s arrival was just after Anelka had controversially left the club.
Considering how successful Henry eventually became at the club and the undeniable talents Anelka had, some fans have wondered what would have been if both players played on the same team.
Arsenal legend, Ian Wright, had the chance to speak to Wenger recently and asked the Frenchman if he had planned to field both players together.
Here is how the conversation went:
“You know what I wanted to ask you, because it was something that I was always really quite disappointed it never happened – with Anelka and Henry,” Wright said on the Wrighty’s House podcast.
“Did you always have Henry to come there, because Anelka just left us, was your plan to have those two together?”
“Yeah,” Wenger responded.
Wright: “Would Anelka have played nine then, and Henry have stuck there [out wide]?”
Wenger: “Yeah, exactly that!”
Just Arsenal Opinion
Henry and Anelka were two of the most talented French forwards at the time and it would have been exciting to watch them lead the Arsenal attack.
Regardless, Arsenal got the most stable of both players, with Henry breaking the goal-scoring record at the Emirates.
Anelka would have a journeyman career and lasted just a season at Real Madrid, where he had moved from Arsenal to.
Later in his career, he starred for Manchester City and Chelsea in the Premier League.
As an individual player, he never really had a glittering career as Henry had, and Arsenal probably sold him at the perfect time.