With Thierry Henry looking set to depart Barcelona this summer, it seems strange to see that the MLS is likely to be his next destination surely; the former Arsenal striker could do a lot better?

Prior to his move to the Catalan club, Henry was one of the greatest strikers ever to play in the Premiership. He was a perfect striker and at times watching him in action could be like an art, on his day he could be considered as one of the best players in the world. The way Henry would terrorises defences and show-up players on a regular basis with his dazzling skills was incredible. When Henry left Arsenal he was their all-time top goal scorer with an impressive 226 goals to his name and also had 92 assists.

At Barcelona, Henry has never been able to hold down a starting shirt and has mainly been used as an impact-sub during his time there. It is strange that he wasn’t even able to get in the team when he had a past-his-best Ronaldinho in front of him. This season he found his options even more limited with Pedro and Bojan preferred to the Frenchman. When he has played he hasn’t looked like the same player at Arsenal and you can clearly see that there is something missing to his game, he doesn’t have that slightly arrogant swagger that he had about him whilst playing for the Gunners. He doesn’t run at defenders like he used to and looks more now for the pass rather than to beat a man and it appears that he has lost his confidence from not playing week-in, week-out. With the arrival of David Villa from Valencia, Henry has seen it as a necessity to leave Barcelona.

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However why is such a fine player not being linked with top-clubs, granted he is now 32 but he still has so much to offer. The most high-profile name he has been linked with is West Ham, and without disrespecting the East London club he could do a lot better. Although the MLS is a slowly improving league, Henry would be better off signing for a side in the Championship then going there.

Although a return to England looks unlikely and so does a move to another Spanish side there is another league where at 32 Henry could still thrive, Serie A. Henry only spent six months in Italy, at Juventus in 1999, where he struggled to adapt to the slow-paced nature of the league and was regularly played out of position. But a return to the Old Lady could be the perfect move for both parties, with Juventus having a poor season and struggling in front of goal, someone with the guile and vision of Henry could be just what they need. As for Henry, well he arguably has ‘unfinished business’ with the club, because he left not being able to show what a great player he is and not winning anything. He was won major honours in the best leagues in Europe except for Italy and it would be another challenge for himself. At Inter and Milan he would face competition for places and so Juve would be the logical choice. He would be one of the ‘main men’ at the club and he would be able to build his confidence back up and hopefully return to his old form.

It is sad to see the favoured destination as the MLS for a player with the calibre of Thierry Henry. A good player doesn’t turn bad overnight and his career is far from over. So when he makes the likely exit from Barcelona he should seriously consider a move to Italy before he commits himself to the stars and stripes of the USA.

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