Thierry Henry is returning to the principality
AS Monaco has appointed Thierry Henry as manager, replacing Leonardo Jardim, who was sacked during the week, on a three-year deal.
Henry returns to the Ligue 1 club where he started his career after almost 20 years. He played more than 100 games for Monaco between 1996 and 1999 before an ill-fated move to Juventus.
He takes over from Portuguese coach Jardim, who was relieved of his duties during the week after four years at the helm of the club. During his time at the Stade Louis, the former Olympiacos coach led the side to a Ligue 1 title and the Champions League semi-finals.
He also oversaw the development and sale of a number of now world class players, including the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Bernardo Silva and Benjamin Mendy.
OFFICIAL: Thierry Henry returns to @AS_Monaco_EN as manager on a three-year deal pic.twitter.com/DKd569Hl1e
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) October 13, 2018
Jardim’s spell at the club will be remembered for his ability to consistently build teams, season-on-season, despite selling his best assets each summer.
Despite its early success, the efficacy of that policy was cast into stark focus this summer as poor signings and bizarre recruitment choices left the team looking more depleted than it had looked in recent years.
At the time of his sacking, Jardim’s side had amassed just six points in Ligue 1, with just one win from the opening nine league games.
Henry will leave his role as assistant manager to Belgium coach Roberto Martinez after agreeing his return, with Joao Carlos Valado Tralhaoof Benfica, and Patrick Kwame Ampadu of the Arsenal Academy joining his coaching team.
Speaking about his return to AS Monaco’s official website, Henry said: “In the first place, I thank AS Monaco for giving me the opportunity to coach the team of this club which is so special to me. I am very happy to come back to AS Monaco and extremely determined to meet the challenges ahead. I can not wait to meet the players to start working together.”
