Spanish Debate: Should Barcelona Sell Henry?

Ewan Macdonald asks if, in light of the alleged interest of Manchester United in Barcelona striker Thierry Henry, the Spanish side might be well served to cut their losses and sell up...

Few clubs would ever consider selling their most expensive summer signing just a year after his arrival. Yet that's happened this year already as Rio Mavuba switched from Villarreal to Lille, and it's not inconceivable that another could follow. It's another Frenchman, and it's an even bigger name: Thierry Henry.

Yes, in a summer that has already seen Ronaldinho and Deco depart for pastures new, Henry could be the third superstar to leave Barcelona after a torrid season in Catalunya. It's thought that Manchester United are poised, chequebook in hand, to land the ex-Arsenal man, and surely they have the financial wherewithal to back up their ambitions.

But Barcelona, conversely, are able to withstand any bid for any player - at least any player who isn't looking to leave. With this in mind, should they even entertain an offer for he of the va-va-voom?

The Case Against

There's a compelling argument against Barcelona's listening to any incoming offer. Firstly, Henry is a class act. There is absolutely no denying this: one questionable season - the last one - doesn't fully undo a career's worth of excellent work.

With Arsenal, as if one needs reminding, Henry didn't only produce goals by the barrow-load - a ratio of around 0.7:1 goals per game - but also a wealth of assists. Furthermore offered leadship: even prior to his appointment as Gunners captain, his style of play, including his ability to drift wide, helped to dictate how Arsenal ticked.

At Barcelona he has struggled to show the same level of influence, but this may not be all his fault. First of all, as he admitted midway through last season he spent much of last year struggling with injury: even when he played, he could not to do so at 100% capacity.

Furthermore, the team was arguably not set up to suit him as it was at Arsenal. While few players can say that an XI is built around them, Henry is one who benefits when it is - and arguably he more than repays such faith. With the 'Fantastic Four' jostling for position he was often treated as something of an afterthought; this year, with less competition and arguably less pressure, he may either not be expected to perform out of position, or be given more chances to prove himself in a favoured place.

In any case, while his performances often left a lot to be desired - for every showing like the 6-0 win over Valencia there were two like that in the 3-2 loss to Betis or his embarassing performance in the 1-0 loss at Old Trafford - he still hit goals. He managed 10 in 19 appearances, to be precise, and even from that left flank position he found himself capable of cutting inside on occasion. In other words, it could have been a lot worse.

When it comes to the crunch, this is what it comes down to: it wasn't all bad, and surely a player with a €24m price tag on his head, and fine pedigree, deserves a chance to prove himself capable of better.

Unless...

Sell Early, Sell Often

Perhaps loss-cutting is the way to go. While it's clear that in the absence of Ronaldinho there is now less competition in attack, 'Dinho generally played out on the left anyway, a place in which Henry did not excel against Spanish defences. Had Eto'o or Bojan been out of commission then a central place would have been more available, and more to his liking.

Further, one has to wonder if Henry hasn't done them a disservice last season. It took him a long time to publicly admit that he was injured: that brought into question how much the club knew about his status when he was signed. In any case it was a sad sight to see a player so far below capacity take to the pitch, and if Barcelona fans were soured to him by now, few could blame them.

One would not like to go so far as to question Thierry's hunger, but perhaps his willingness to step onto the pitch in less than pristine condition does not so much show loyalty and devotion as a willingness to accept second-best. Barcelona's main problem last season was that far too many players were either happy with or simply resigned to losing out - be they the old guard whose day had past or the young bucks who lacked confidence and leadership - and for a new signing to call so quickly into one of those traps is most disheartening. Coach Josep 'Pep' Guardiola has already made it clear that his is a tight ship, and Henry, while certainly not deliberately negligent, may clash somewhat with that ethos.

That's partially due to the fact that he's, well, old. He'll turn 31 next week, and for a forward that's beyond the peak. True, a fit striker can keep on going until his mid or even late thirties, but rare is the breed that can perform to the top level right until the end. This is especially true of those forwards whose key attribute is pace, as opposed to power. Henry is one of these. (That he was signed at all, then, especially at such cost, is mystifying to some.)

Finally there are fiscal concerns. If Barcelona can recoup much of their €24m then they have done well, having already had a year of Nike-related merchandising income. It'll also boost their chances of landing one or two more signings before the summer ends.