Looking back at the quotes of a year ago with Henry saying Arsenal is the last club I’ll play for; and even a month ago – being raring to get going and score for Arsenal again – puts a doubt about the veracity of things said by footballers. Even Wenger last month said Henry would play for Arsenal next season.

When a player left Arsenal a while back – Arsenal was an institution as solid as the Bank of England. Arsenal was bigger than the player, and it was the player who naturally had the regrets. That appears to have changed on the surface at least.

Now we have players trashing the management just a day or two after leaving – witness Jeremie Aliadiere trashing Arsenal and Arsene with stupid ‘toys out of pram’ quotes.

It was obvious looking at games last year there was a chasm in the team, or a vacuum. There was Thierry Henry – and then there were the others. Not the fault of anyone in particular, given the finances. But Henry was on a pedestal – the team was there for him and to serve him up chances.

Arsenal played better as a team at times last season when Henry was sidelined.

And his departure will certainly liberate some players who did freeze and suffer from the presence of the great superstar footballer. Just ask Antonio Reyes what it felt like.

And Henry, to be honest was not a great captain. Gilberto and possibly Toure, show more in that direction. Could there ever have been a situation where Henry was stripped of the armband, and still playing for Arsenal?

The debate still rages about the £16m fee for Henry. The Guardian alone ran a story the fee could come to £20.2m with add ons (including £2m more if Barcelona win the Champions League). Some are saying he went for the same as Darren Bent and nearly half of the Shevchenko fee. But there again – we are not party to the Arsenal medical reports and sciatica can leave long term damage.

Some papers reported on Friday that Samuel Eto’o rejected Arsenal, preferring to stay at the Nou Camp. The Independent said Inter came in with a late cash bid plus Adriano, which put impetus to the stalling talks with Barca over installments.

And over the week-end the flurry of linkages – Tevez in the Mirror, possible because Wenger is on record as saying he likes the Argentinian, and because his owner is a Gooner with a box at The Emirates.

Then Anelka, who said he wanted to play for a top four Premiership side, and has matured and is in fine form for France. There was a telling quote in one Sunday that he is the striker most suited to Arsenal’s tactical style. There’s a symmetry too, as it was a decade ago he arrived at Highbury – and the speed player Thierry Henry effectively replaced. Not the great superstar signing – but a practical solution.

An ‘insider’ is quoted in the Mail on Sunday a saying that Wenger will get an experienced striker to take the weight off the youngsters’ shoulders and a younger striker not so well known in England, in the next two weeks. Anelka would fit the former (so too Michael Owen) and Ryan Babel and Klaas Jan Huntelaar the latter.

Fernando Torres it is said – by the Mail on Sunday at least – is too expensive for Arsenal – and the club believes he is not better than the strikers they’ve already got (?).

Other players linked include: Sporting Lisbon midfield duo Miguel Veloso and Joao Moutinho, right-backs Bakari Sagna of Auxerre (The Express says it is: “a deal that will be concluded next week”), Miguel of Valencia, and West Brom’s centre back Curtis Davies.

The Guardian’s tangled web has: Royston Drenthe, David Trezeguet,and Fernando Torres – but that has to taken with a big bag of salt.

The Mirror today adds that Gilles Grimandi is tracking Italy’s Under – 21 midfielder Alberto Aquilani.

In the midst of the doom and gloom and predictions of great demise – there’s a paragraph saying Wenger could sign a deal to 2011 – and confident about it.

A red-top says: “Wenger will meet chairman Peter Hill-Wood and managing director Keith Edelman to discuss a new four-year deal – and a shock move for former Arsenal star Nicolas Anelka.”

A senior Arsenal insider said: “We are comfortable about the outcome of the talks with Arsene.”

Thinking about it – it may be only scenario that will work. It wouldn’t be fair on the younger developing players who would feel they could be left in mid-stream. It would be harder to convince superstars to come in the knowledge the manager may be off in a year. And how will Wenger motivate a predominantly young team with his imminent departure in the back of their minds. Alex Ferguson saw the folly of that and committed to a longer term.

And finally out of all the words this week-end perhaps these are the best from Nic Townsend IoS: “Suddenly, the club who have come to represent stability and continuity, and have been admired for refusing to sell out to the American dream, appear dreadfully vulnerable. Anyone with an appreciation for football being administered with honour and decency must earnestly hope that is not the case.”