THIERRY HENRY I’m up for Celts job
French legend Thierry tells Hoops board he’s ‘available’
THIERRY HENRY has told Celtic chiefs he’d be up for talks over taking charge at Parkhead.
The Arsenal and France legend is looking to get back into the dugout after returning to Europe for family reasons following an 18-month stint as boss of Montreal Impact in the MLS.
And he insisted he would be keen on discussions if Hoops power brokers make a move to entice him.
Henry’s been keeping tabs
on Scottish football, watching the impact former Liverpool rival Steven Gerrard has made across the city at Rangers.
And he admitted he would be interested in squaring up to his old Premier League foe.
The ex-Barcelona star said: “With all humility, whatever is going to come my way – I’m not saying that should come my way – I’m going to evaluate.
“I’m sure they’re [Celtic] going to work on what they’re going to work on.
“I don’t know what’s happening there. This is a club I respect a lot but that I don’t know about.
“I have massive respect for both clubs in Glasgow. This is not up to me.
“I’m just trying to learn. I’m available. I don’t know what is going to come my way but I want to coach.”
Eddie Howe and Roy Keane are among heavy hitters in the running, along with Manchester City youth coach Enzo Maresca, Salzburg’s Jesse Marsch and Scotland’s Steve Clarke.
Henry would love to see his name thrown into the mix after a couple of false starts in the dugout.
The World Cup winner was given just 20 games in his first gig at Monaco in 2018 then led Montreal to the play-offs before travel problems prompted by the pandemic saw him quit.
But Henry doesn’t want to hang about for his next move and he’s got his sights set on following Gerrard’s path in Glasgow.
He told the Robbie Fowler podcast: “All I know is I want to coach and be back out there.
“You look at what Steve G’s done, it’s just ridiculous. What a man. I knew he’d deliver. Rangers gave him time to build a team, to grab the players he wanted and make sure they were going to play.
“I love that they gave him the time to be able to catch Celtic because if not, how are you going to do it? You need more than one or two seasons.
“I have massive respect for both clubs but I’m just trying to wait and see.”
Henry has star status but it remains to be seen how any move would go down with fans craving an experienced coach. The ex-Gunner is also a figure of fury in Ireland after his handball goal in the 2010 World Cup play-off.
Henry admitted he’s still a novice in the dugout but he’s determined to make his way as a manager who gets his teams playing attacking football.
He said: “I’m trying to learn. Whatever I did as a player doesn’t matter.
“You need to put your ego on the side and teach players how you want to play.”
Celtic are looking to step up their search for Neil Lennon’s successor and former Hoops ace Simon Donnelly is hoping Keane gets the nod.
He said: “Keane excites me. People have their doubts but he’s a winner. Coming into Celtic to go head-to-head with Gerrard would excite everybody.”