Thierry Henry may be nearing his next move following a short-lived stay at combustible Monaco.
Multiple sources tell ProSoccerTalk that Henry has been in talks with the Red Bull Global Soccer organization about taking a coaching role within one of their clubs.
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The natural reaction would be to link Henry with the manager’s position at Major League Soccer side New York Red Bulls, which has struggled out of the gates at 1W-2D-3L after making a quarterfinal run in the CONCACAF Champions League.
The Red Bulls told PST they don’t comment on speculation.
But there’s plenty of change within RBGS, which also operates RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga and Red Bull Salzburg in the Austrian Bundesliga (I think we can rule out Red Bull Ghana, Red Bull Brasil, and Austrian second tier side FC Liefering).
This report comes a day after former New York Red Bulls boss Jesse Marsch was announced as the next manager of Red Bull Salzburg, and Henry was a celebrated assistant to Roberto Martinez with the Belgium national team.
And RB Leipzig will have a new boss next year, when 31-year-old Julian Nagelsmann leaves Hoffenheim to take over for Ralf Rangnick (who Marsch assisted this season).
Henry earned his first managerial job in October when he took over for Leonardo Jardim, whose much-changed AS Monaco was fighting relegation. That run lasted three-and-a-half months before Monaco restored Jardim to his post. Monaco is now 16th, well off their usual European pace, and Jardim’s minor revival has been buoyed by a bevy of January moves including Adrien Silva, Cesc Fabregas, Fode Ballo-Toure, and Gelson Martins.
Armas went 13-3-3 in taking over for Marsch midway through last season, and took the Red Bulls to the Eastern Conference finals where they lost to eventual champions Atlanta United.
Would the Red Bulls’ European hierarchy cut ties with Armas so early in the season after such an outstanding finish last season, especially after the club didn’t do anything major to offset the sale of Tyler Adams to RBL (no offense, Marc Rzatkowski)? Or could negotiations amount to bringing Henry onto Marsch’s staff (the two did not cross over at Red Bull Arena)?
To play devil’s advocate, there’s also the attendance boost that could come with bringing Henry back across the ocean. It certainly could buoy both young and old within the RBNY team, and it’s not difficult to remember the buzz that followed Titi’s move to the New York/New Jersey area.
