Henry bids Arsenal ‘au revoir' for US season

London: Thierry Henry will play his final game for Arsenal against AC Milan on Wednesday, Arsene Wenger has confirmed, but the manager was withering about any prospect of losing Robin van Persie to Real Madrid.

Wenger says he would have loved to have been able to keep Henry, 34, for the Tottenham match on February 26 — for the aura he has over Arsenal's north London rivals as much as his ability.

But he knows it would not be fair on the former France international's parent club, the New York Red Bulls, whose Major League Soccer season starts on February 23. "I would have been happy if he had stayed for two more weeks," Wenger said. "He would have had a psychological impact on the derby, but it did not work. He will leave us on February 16, the day after the Milan game.

"He was happy to be here and all the players were happy to have him around. In training, he looks better every week. He is now back to a fitness level comparable to all the other players."

While Wenger is resigned to losing Henry, he is adamant he will make it as difficult as possible for Real Madrid, a reported suitor of Van Persie, to prise his current star player from the club.

Spanish newspapers reported a source close to Van Persie, who has a season-and-a-half remaining on his contract, as saying the forward was interested in moving to the Bernabeu but he "didn't believe that Arsenal accept any negotiations".

When asked for a reaction to the reports, Wenger said: "No. You should ask Robin van Persie," before adding: "In Spain they are very creative. They've created another story."

Wenger's ultimately fruitless attempt to keep hold of former captain Cesc Fabregas, after repeated expressions of interest from Barcelona, began similarly, with unattributed sources close to the player leaking stories to the Spanish press.

While there is little indication that Real Madrid and Arsenal are even at initial stages of contact, Wenger reacted strongly to questions about what his answer would be if either Real or Barcelona came calling for his current captain. "What do you think [the answer would be]?" Wenger snapped. "Barcelona already know that they have a difficult job with us always."

‘It's a farce'

Wenger added his displeasure at the Premier League's 25-man squad ruling, claiming it stopped him from adding to his side in the January transfer window. "It is absolutely crazy," he continued. "It will paralyse the market. You see nothing happened in the January transfer window. Because everybody has 25 so if nobody buys nobody else can buy. If I'm paralysed here and I have to buy a player, I have to kick somebody out. The answer is to leave it open. It's a farce."

— Telegraph Group Limited, London, 2012