Top job or Arsenal striker post? Thierry Henry’s former Gunners team-mate makes coaching prediction for World Cup-winning ‘Invincible’

No questions have been asked of whether Henry, who captured a global crown with his country in 1998, would like to form part of Mikel Arteta’s backroom staff. He does, though, still boast strong ties to the red half of north London.

Widely considered to be one of the greatest players to have ever graced the Premier League, the 2003-04 ‘Invincible’ and two-time title winner is Arsenal’s all-time leading scorer with 228 goals to his name.

Since hanging up his record-shattering boots, Henry has dipped his toe into managerial waters. He retraced steps to Monaco - the club that helped to launch his iconic career - in October 2018, but lasted just three months and 20 matches at the helm.

Another relatively brief stint calling shots at MLS outfit the Montreal Impact was taken in during the Covid era, with only 29 games being overseen in Canada. More success was enjoyed when leading the France U21 team into a home Olympic Games in 2024 - with a silver medal being picked up there.

Henry - who has also taken in two spells as an assistant with the Belgium national team set-up - has been focused on punditry work of late, but could the coaching itch strike again? When that question was put to Grimandi, another French title winner from Arsenal’s glittering past - who was speaking in association with BetVictor Online Casino - told GOAL: “I don't think he will come back. It's my point of view, I don't know.

“I think his position is, he speaks a lot about football, he watches a lot of football games, he has a fantastic knowledge of football, he watches every game. So sometimes maybe he has to think deep inside that I have to give it a go. But when he realises what that means, he must say,’ no, it's better to keep the life I've got at this moment’.

“Because to be a manager these days, you have to give your life for football, dedicate your life for football, and you have no guarantee that you're going to win, and you have no guarantee that you're going to keep your job for long, and you know that you cannot work on a long project. So it's a very, very complicated job.

“Of course, when you see Luis Enrique, you say it's a fantastic job, yeah, but it's only one or two, the rest is very complicated. So I cannot see Thierry going back to management. His passion for football maybe will push him to go, but I don't think so.”

Pressed further on whether Henry would like to work behind the scenes at Arsenal, potentially in an academy post or with the forwards at Emirates Stadium, Grimandi added: “It would be lovely for the club, it would be fantastic for the club, but these kind of guys, they love to be at the top of their job.

“It's complicated to go to an academy, even if I think that it's important to put the best manager in the academy, in football, because it's the time where the players learn a lot.

“I don't know, but it would be a good idea if he can just get involved, not full-time, but just as a striker coach. I don't know if he wants to do that.”

Arsenal are considered to still be in need of attacking inspiration, despite recapturing the Premier League title last season. Kai Havertz has been deployed as a false nine on a regular basis, with Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres yet to truly convince as a leading No.9.

The Gunners displayed commendable battling qualities in their latest outing, as they held Harry Kane and Bayern Munich to a 2-2 Champions League draw at the Allianz Arena. They will be back in domestic action on Saturday when playing host to Everton.