Please let this be the final word on this, the dullest but most predictable of summer transfer stories:

“There’s never been any question of him not being at Arsenal next season”, said someone from Henry’s agents, SEM Group. He went on to rubbish yesterday’s story in France Football claiming Henry the deal to take Tel to Barca was in the bag and muttered something about legal action.

I was ready to give Henry the b of the d – but then this: “I’ve not taken any decision and my name is not up on any departures board. If something happens, I will tell everybody.”

Nice to put that one to bed then. He really has to stop his ambiguous waffling and tell us, beacause this is not behaviour becoming of a club captain who earns more than £100,000 a week. It’s not acceptable.

Anyway, would Arsenal have released this picture of him in the new strip if they thought something was up? I’d like to think they weren’t that stupid.

Gallas, meanwhile, has been nattering. This time he’s said something vaguely sensible: “As far as departures are concerned, if certain players want to go, like Thierry, we should not prevent them from leaving.”

Quite right too. If any player wants to leave, let him. We want players committed to the club.