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These are exciting times to be an Arsenal fan or an Arsenal player. We stuttered at the start of the season, which most people expect of a team adapting to a new home, but now we're pushing forward on four fronts, with an extraordinary squad of young players, and the new stadium is starting to feel like home thanks to memorable wins in particular against Tottenham and against Man Utd, games which made it clear that 60,000 people can indeed make more noise than 38,000.
So, naturally, it's time to start rumours about our talismanic club captain Thierry Henry leaving.
The Sunday Express, Daily Star, and other fools have been suggesting that he "will be allowed to leave" in the summer, to Real Madrid or Barcelona naturally (given that he said last summer, "I have never played in Spain, and I never will").
Apparently, the fact that we have some good young players means that Henry is surplus to requirements, and of course the wording "allowed to leave" is meant to imply that he wants to leave. There are also suggestions that he's unhappy (they even use the word "fear") about the possibility of being "dropped" for the League Cup final. Eh? "dropped"?
Bring it on, you scurrilous hacks. No-one's buying it this time round. The man loves the club and you can see it not only on the pitch but off it, like whenever he's not on the pitch and Emmanuel Adebayor scores and goes to celebrate with him with a boogie and a cuddle.
I can't imagine any Arseweb readers would be giving any credence to the stories, but for the record, Thierry has come out quickly this time to tell it like it is.
Speaking in Dubai where he went to make a few bob selling shaving cream with Tiger Woods and Roger Federer, Henry said,
"You know my commitment to the club. That is the most important thing. You know where my heart is."
Nuff said.
Meanwhile, Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood has been speaking about the likelihood of Arsene Wenger signing a contract extension. It's likely.
"I am convinced he is going to want to stay. It really pleases him to see so many talented kids come through."
"That is why I believe Arsene will stay on. He will want to see them fulfil their potential and become even better."
"There have been no talks at the moment because Arsene wants to concentrate on the sequence of very important matches we have coming up. I am sure we will speak in the summer and hopefully those talks will go well and he will stay."
Wenger currently has 18 months left on his contract and clearly has a job of some kind at Arsenal for life, if he wants it. | 
