Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho has admitted that he came close to signing striker Thierry Henry earlier on in his career while working alongside Barcelona coach Sir Bobby Robson.
Arsenal and France legend Henry hung up his boots this week, and Mourinho now admits that the Catalan giants almost acquired the frontman before he sealed a move from Monaco to Juventus.
"When I was an assistant in Barcelona with Mr [Bobby] Robson in 1996 [we tried to sign him]. He was in Monaco and he went to Juventus, we lost him by an inch," Mourinho said, according to talkSPORT.
"After that he was not on my radar because it was never a possibility to come to my teams. Could you imagine in that moment leaving Arsenal to come to Chelsea? I wouldn't imagine that. He's the kind of player that you need forever, especially in the Premier League where he was more than any other place.
"He was okay in Barcelona and the [French] national team, but the real Thierry Henry, the player that we are all going to miss forever, is the one that made unbelievable seasons and incredible history in the Premier League."
Henry went on to play at Arsenal for eight years, appearing 258 times and scoring 175 goals.
Christopher Dodd
