Richard Jolly: Henry's Second Coming

There were no second acts in Arsenal life. With his gaze perennially set far into the future, Arsene Wenger was football's most prominent ageist. His interest in plenty of players waned before their 30th birthday celebrations were concluded, while his business brain was evident whenever he sold a footballer before his market value deteriorated. Thierry Henry was a case in point. Sold for €24 million in 2007, he has returned to London without a fee. A two-month loan deal is a cameo of a comeback and part of a trend: first Sol Campbell, then Jens Lehmann and now Henry have staged surprise homecomings. As Robert Pires also trained with Arsenal and Wenger considered re-signing Patrick Vieira, half of the Invincibles could have been back for an encore.