Why did Klose and Henry leave?
So - Klose is off to Bayern.
I don’t quite know why, but these two headlines got me worked up. The thing is - I just don’t get why they’re leaving. On top of that, I don’t get how both players seem to have had the feeling that they had the undeniable right to leave.
Take Klose, for example. He’s played a mediocre season, by his standards. He excelled at the World Cup (I, for one, remember chanting his name with glee many-a-time last June). He was injured, he got a bit lazy, he didn’t do well for Bremen. If he had been in form, I’m certain Bremen would’ve won the title and most probably the UEFA Cup too.
Anyway. He had a bad season. Instead of keeping his head down and working hard to have a better 2007/2008 campaign with Bremen, who stuck by him through this season (I cannot remember one single criticism directed towards him in the media uttered by the manager), he kept whinging and whining from April onwards that he wanted to go to Bayern. He had a “secret” meeting with Bayern officials 48 hours (!) before the UEFA Cup semi-final against Espanyol.
Take Henry. He was injured for a large part of the season. He didn’t exactly prove himself this year. Instead of playing for at least another season of his contract (which went until 2011!), he kept whining. He decided that Dein leaving was enough to make him want to go to Barcelona. I simply do not buy it. Even if he has “close ties” with the family. If Arsenal, the fans, the stadium, were truly “in his heart”, he wouldn’t have left. No question.
Why did they feel like they had the right to go? They had contracts. They didn’t play brilliantly recently. Not wanting to use a cliché here but…just shut up and play.
Now the elementary question though - why did they even want to leave? At the moment, it’s arguable whether Bayern is a better club that Bremen. They’ve spent big, but the new team is unproven. Klose will face stiff competition - Podolski, Toni, Makaay, even Schlaudraff if he becomes a fan favourite. And they’re playing in the UEFA Cup next season.
Arsenal didn’t do that well this season, but they’re a young team with future, with Henry being the absolute superstar at the Emirates. Henry will face some of the best forwards in Europe (save Rooney and van Nistelrooy, perhaps) in Barcelona - Messi, Eto’o, Ronaldinho. He’s 30 soon, does he really want to fight for a first-team place after being the big man with the Gunners for so long?
I repeat - I just don’t get it. If anyone has any explanations, pray tell.
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Discussion - 15 Responses
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Because the charm of the big clubs is real.
Because they got bored at their small clubs
Because those are two different cases - Klose wants to stay in Germany and that means playing with Bayern, while Henry has won everything except the WC and the CL and wants to win those two before the end of his career.
Here’s a very cynical view of Henry: He couldn’t win the WC by diving in 2006, so now he’s taking the easy route by moving to a less-physical league and therefore ensuring that he’ll be, at 33, fit to play in South Africa. And with Barcelona he’ll always have a better chance of winning the Champions League than with Arsenal.
henry already has a world cup winners medal. granted he didnt play in the final but he played a big part in the tournament but he still has one. see your point about prolonging his career tho. the pace of the prem must have a big impact on players careers.
as for the CL i dont buy that. barca only only just beat ten men arsenal and Henry couldve been the difference last night, and last season they went out at the same stage as arsenal.
he is moaning about the instability at arsenal but we all know that the big spanish clubs are notorious in chopping and changing managers when things dont go the right way. and the fractions in the dressing room have been well publicised.
still, all the best thierry, lets hope you dont face the same injury fate of all the other big names to leave arsenal.
Ahmed: Henry did win the WC with France in 98.
Henry and Klose both left for bigger clubs, more money, bigger chance of winning trophies.
now don’t get me wrong, i agree with most of what you said ahmed, but i just don’t see bremen and arsenal as small clubs…
I did said about this before, IMAGINE you have Henry or Klose abalities and you are at your 30s, what will you truely one? Who cares about thier last season preformance, BIG clubs still want them both cause both of them can deliver something really special in return.
What ever the reasons and the intentions Klose and Henry have, both of this players are at the peak of their footballing career as both reached at thier 30s. They need to start think about what they want for thier lifes, which most of us would do if we are in their shoes. Is not a question of their preformance last season and loyalty anymore.
Both players had played with their own clubs long enough that they reached retirement age. So they not just have UNDENIABLE right to LEAVE! But also UNDENIABLE right to RETIRE from football as well^^.
Thats why they want to go for other clubs, weather for greed or just want to experience deferent flavour,we will not know. But their choices might be wrong for what they want to go for, we will just have to enjoy next season and see how they fair with thier current club^^.
Henry’s move to Barca will benefit him more than it does to Barca, as for Klose, he’s never impressed me, Koller is another player who’s tall, but he gets more involved in the game than Klose. Henry’s won everything except CL and he may win with Barca, but the ego clashes on the way are going to be super fun…………
Is like Sherringham from Totenham to Man Utd, Figo from Real Madrid to Inter Milan, Ronaldo from Real Madrid to AC Milan, Ballack from Bayern Munich to Chelsea, Shevchencko from AC Milan to Chelsea, Campbell from Arsenal to Postmouth, Pirez from Arsenal to Virraeal, Peter Schmeichel from Man U to Sporting Lisbon.
All great players, all at thier 30s, all have undeniable have the right to leave or retire, some of them we might consider making the right choices.
So need more to ask strikers like Klose and Henry why they want to leave, even tho they might not get regular first team action or chances of wining more titles?
My feelings are mixed. On one hand I am a big Bayern supporter and I also love Klose as I feel he is a lethal striker when motivated. I also despise Arsenal and especially that alien head Henry. That said, I too am getting fed up with the present rash of contract breakers in football today.
These individuals have two major character flaws that fans should all be aware of. They are loyal to the almighty dollar
and they have ego’s that need to be stroked constantly. They also feel they have some inherited right to be part of a massive club’s attempt to win everything. In Klose’s case, he’ll wait a season for the Champions League but as for Henry and all the other misguided players who sign for star studded Italian, Spanish and Italian sides, have fun spending 30 to 40 percent of your time on the bench due to the other three or four players just like you who just had to sign with your side and who will collectively fight for playing time. Present day teams seem to carry 30 players, and they all want to play. My God! I f I was the top dog at Arsenal or at Bremen, why would I compromise my career and playing time for the shallow riches of being that great “team player” who sits on the bench while Misters Messi, Eto, Gudjonson, Toni, MaKaay, Podolski all try to usurp my playing time, while claiming it is for the betterment of the club. Greed and dillusions of grandeur have corrupted the present day football star. I blame the deep pockets of all the major European clubs as they have truly ruined the beautiful game and their respective leagues.
Podolski is shite mate. It boggles the mind that he got young player @ the World Cup.
Henry won almost everything in the premier league except the carling cup. 2 premiership titles, 3 FA Cups, 3 time top scorer, 3 times the best player of the league award. He only missed on the Carling cup and the CL and he really wants the CL that bad. I mean when you come to look at it. Who were the three teams most likely to get Henry. Liverpool, Barcelona & AC Milan, who are all CL champions in the past three years. So I think winnig the CL is the trophy that he desperatly needs to add to his list at the moment.
Chris, I feel with you. I felt just as bad when we lost Beckham, Ruud (even though for different reasons. Still felt ‘betrayed’.
If I were Henry, at his age, I would have done exactly the same. Close to retiring, already a legend in England, why not go for a new challenge at one of the greatest clubs in the world. If he can make a success there, he will retire a true footballing icon.
Question:
Why is it that players can change clubs, and it is acceptable, (sometimes even exciting), but when a fan does it, it is the biggest sin on this planet?
Ryan Giggs has always been my hero…if he were to move to Anfield, why will I be seen as a traitor if I now start supporting ‘that scum’?
I also don’t think that Bremen and Arsenal are small clubs. Yes, perhaps there is a slightly bigger chance of Barcelona winning the CL than Arsenal. But both reached the final last year and Barcelona wasn’t another class entirely in that game. Bremen played fantastically well in the CL season as well and were unlucky to lose out in a group consisting of Barca and Chelsea. I’d gladly trade in a bit more dosh and a so-called “bigger club” for the status which Klose and Henry had at their clubs and their unquestionable status in the teams.
The examples which Rajapemburu named, I find, are invalid. At least half of them are players who were over the hill when they transferred, hence had no choice (Ronaldo, Figo, Schmeichel, Campbell, Pirès). Sheva was a greedy so-and-so and his wife wanted to go to England, Sheringham went to a club which was UNDENIABLY better than Tottenham (when did they last play CL?), as did Ballack from Bayern. All of these transfers are more understandable than the agonising, media-frenzied transfers of Henry and Klose, who have, in my opinion, lost a lot sympathy on all sides.
I agree with the school of thought that says Henry went to Barcelona simply to win the Champions League. It’s all that he really wants to add to his trophy room right now. It’s kinda like his final hurrah, even if he has to compete with Messi, Ronaldinho and Eto’o for a place on the team. He probably just felt like he wanted a fresh challenge, one that would allow him a good chance at big honors. That’s Barcelona for him.
Klose I too was kinda surprised to hear about, given that he’d done hoot all year long. I can’t see Bayern playing Toni and Klose up front together because they’re very similar. Makaay would probably become a fringe player, so Toni, Klose and Podolski would be the first three choices for their coach, with Schlaudraff and Makaay there or thereabouts in the team selection. Like Henry, it’d his last stab at the big trophies on offer (though the Champions League would have to wait).
all said and done, the two of them are class strikers who realise time isn’t on their side and that probably played a major part in their decision.
But I kinda wonder…why didn’t Arsenal bother to look at Klose more klosely? Think about it…they’re crying out for a physical presence up front who can guarantee 20 odd goals a season and could certainly do with a marquee striker now that Henry has said adieu.
I think that Arsenal have an opportunity here if they have the mental strength to recover from Henry’s departure & the uncertainty surrounding Wenger’s future at the club. Everyone agrees that Henry was not an inspirational leader. Constantly petulant on the field & showing his frustration at the lack of European success in the club. I’m not too sure i buy his ‘Dein leaving & Wenger uncertain’ reasons a 100% but from the outside i think it does seem like a good decision for him and the club.
For Arsenal, they will stop looking up to a father figure who was never there & focus the team around quality players like Fabregas, RVP & Gilberto (yes he still has a few good years left on him!). I think Toure will become the linchpin of this team only coz i’m not sure where Fabregas will go next season. There is also room for Gallas to become an awesome member of the team but again, with his good friend Henry gone i don’t know how its going to affect him. All in all this is a golden opportunity for Arsenal to show the world that they can do well without Henry & i’m optimistic about that. They just need to be mentally strong & work a bit better on their finishing. If anything get it together to give Wenger a big sendoff at the end of the season if he indeed decides to leave. That should be motivation enough.
As for Henry, i think his time at Barcelona is going to be tough for him. He’s up fighting for position with heavyweights like Etoo, Messi & Ronaldinho. His family is back home in England & he’s got to learn the language well to fit in. At the age of 30 he still has quality left in him but he will have to change his style of play significantly & that is not going to be easy. The way he did things, it seems to me a panic reflex to get a CL medal & nothing else. That tells you what confidence he has in Arsenal being successful in Europe & its best that he did leave when he did.
Conclusion: Good for Arsenal, 50-50 for Henry.
As for Klose, i think that whole situation was messed up from the start & i have a feeling quite a bit of it might have to do with money. In that way he might be similar to Ribery who inexplicably went to a club with no CL spot for next season. Maybe he feels he can make a name for himself despite the competition he’s facing. There’s a lot of murky back-room dealing that we aren’t privy too. Have you ever considered that maybe Bremen didn’t want him anymore & subtly pushed him out? They probably didn’t want a whinger anymore in a club that pretty much sidesteps negative media attention consistently. Worth thinking about.
Conclusion: Good for Bremen, less than 50-50 for Klose.
ACTUALLY HENRY HAS WON THE WORLD CUP! He won in ‘98 with france when he was like 20!
so all he wants is the CL medal!