Captain Henry pledges his future to Arsenal (Roundup)

By Ben James May 19, 2006, 14:52 GMT

Arsenal FC\'s Thierry Henry runs with the ball during the UEFA Champions League soccer final against FC Barcelona at the Stade de France in St. Denis near Paris, Wednesday 17 May 2006. EPA/OLIVER WEIKEN

London - Arsenal captain Thierry Henry has pledged his future to the London club, ending months of speculation that he might be prepared to leave.

The France striker had been heavily linked with a move to Barcelona, who beat Arsenal in the Champions League final on Wednesday in Paris, but Henry said his heart was with the Gunners.

'I think you all know, it's not a surprise but I'm staying here to play even longer for the club I love,' Henry told a news conference on Friday.

'It's been amazing since I joined, there had been so much speculation about me leaving - I won't lie, it crossed my mind. But I think with my heart and it told me to stay.'

Henry said David Dein, the Arsenal vice-chairman and manager Arsene Wenger, had been massive influences on his decision.

'Without them I wouldn't be talking to you. I just want to carry on writing the story of Arsenal with them,' he said.

'In the past year the fans have been more than amazing,' he added.

'After the way we lost on Wednesday, I couldn't let them down. It was another thing to add and a positive thing to make me stay.

'I always refer to Arsenal as my home town. I have been welcomed with open arms, the love I receive here - sometimes from non-Arsenal fans - is something I can't forget about.'

'It is more than amazing for me. I said to the boss after the game on Wednesday that one of the most important things was what the team showed me. We can be so proud of what we did.

'The game reassured me of one thing I wanted to know - how far I can go with that team. They showed me they are a team with heart and lots of quality. I know we lost but I think you saw that quality, too.'

Henry also hinted that finishing fourth in the Premiership - and with it the last Champions League spot - had been an important factor.

'I said it [my decision] would come before the World Cup. I said I wanted to concentrate on pegging Tottenham back for fourth spot and then the Champions League final. After that was done I was very quick to make up my mind.

'I told the boss I wanted to stay. That was an important thing for me. There are so many things about why I decided to stay. Mr Dein, Arsene, the club, the fans, I just thought I could not left them down.

'I want to play Champions League football even more after what happened on Wednesday.'

Henry's existing contract was due to expire at the end of next season but the way Arsenal battled with 10 men in Paris on Wednesday before eventually losing 2-1 to Barca helped to convince the Frenchman to stay.

'The team showed me we had nothing to fear from Barcelona,' he said.

'It showed me one thing I wanted to know and that's how far I can go with this team.'

The news is a massive boost to Arsenal, who begin life at their new Emirates Stadium in August.

Henry, 28, who joined Arsenal from Juventus seven years ago, is the club's record goalscorer.

With Dennis Bergkamp retiring and Robert Pires seemingly on his way to Villarreal, Henry's decision will be a massive fillip to what is now a young team.

Had Henry gone, manager Arsene Wenger would have found it difficult to persuade top players from other clubs to join.