Arsenal news: Thierry Henry leaves club after refusing Arsene Wenger's request to give up Sky Sports role

Henry was lined up by Wenger to be the Under 18s assistant manager but only if he left Sky Sports

Thierry Henry has left Arsenal after refusing to step down from his role with Sky Sports (Getty)

Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has left the club after refusing to step down from his role with Sky Sports, with Arsene Wenger unhappy with the criticism that the former striker made in his position as a pundit last season.

Henry has been working with Arsenal in an effort to gain his Uefa Pro Licence coaching badge, though Wenger offered the former France international the position of Under 18s assistant manager on the proviso that he leaves Sky.

Henry raised concerns about his former club last season as their Premier League title challenge fell apart at the start of 2016, and at times criticised the first-team squad as they appeared to lack the winning mentality required to maintain a title challenge.

The Evening Standard reports that Wenger has reservations about what Henry says on television about the Gunners given he then mixes with the squad during training sessions, and offered him the role only if he ended his role with Sky – a job worth a reported £4m-a-year that sees him standing as the highest paid pundit on the broadcasters’ books.

With 38-year-old Henry rejecting the request to leave Sky, he has decided to leave the north London club and will not take up the role of assistant manager with the youth team, although he is still welcome to attend future sessions to ensure he gets his coaching badge. The role is instead being lined up for former Portsmouth manager and Arsenal captain Tony Adams, who will support head coach Kuame Ampadu after joining up with the club three weeks ago.

Adams had previously been working as the director of football with Gabala and Azerbaikan after undergoing minor heart surgery last year, and he unsuccessfully applied for the manager’s position at Norwegian club Bronby a few months ago.

Despite Henry’s departure, Wenger is still keen to bring in a number of his former players into the club. Freddie Ljungberg remains with the Under 15 and Under 16 sides, while Robert Pires is often seen lending a helping hand at Arsenal’s London Colney training base. Wenger offered former captain Mikel Arteta a role on his youth coaching team, but the Spaniard elected instead to accept an offer from Manchester City to join Pep Guardiola’s set-up.

Henry’s departure will disappoint certain Arsenal fans who want to see the club’s all-time top goalscorers named as Wenger’s successor, although the Frenchman is yet to take his first senior managerial role and would certainly be a risk if he gets the job when Wenger eventually leaves.