Thierry Henry has been appointed by AS Monaco as the Ligue 1 club’s new head coach, replacing Leonardo Jardim.
The 41-year-old Frenchman, who had been Belgium’s assistant manager, began his professional career at Monaco and helped them win Ligue 1 in 1997.
The former Arsenal and Barcelona forward will officially begin work on Monday, the club said in a statement.
The former Juventus, Barcelona and New York Red Bulls player was linked with Aston Villa in recent weeks and said he received some “very attractive offers” over the last few months.
“Monaco will always be close to my heart,” he added. “I’m incredibly excited to be given this opportunity but now the hard work must begin.”
Monaco have won just once all season in all competitions. In Ligue 1 they have six points from nine games with five defeats and they have lost both games in the Champions League.
Henry’s first game in charge will be against Strasbourg in the league on 20 October, before a Champions League tie with Club Brugge four days later.
Portuguese boss Jardim was appointed in 2014 and led the club to the French title in 2017, their first since 2000.
The 44-year-old also guided Monaco to the Champions League semi-finals in 2016-17 and helped develop players such as Paris St-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe, Atletico Madrid’s Thomas Lemar, and Manchester City pair Bernardo Silva and Benjamin Mendy.
#HesComingHome #ForeverMonaco pic.twitter.com/GuSYXnMt4u
— AS Monaco EN (@AS_Monaco_EN) 13 October 2018
“His knowledge of football, his passion for the game, his high standards and his commitment to our colours make his nomination a reality,” Monaco chief executive Vadim Vasilyev said.
“Thierry is both aware of the task ahead and eager to start his new job. He can count on our trust and all our support to bring a new dynamic to the team and carry out its mission. ”
Patrick Kwame Ampadu, a coach at Arsenal’s academy and father of Chelsea and Wales player Ethan Ampadu, will join Henry’s coaching staff, alongside Benfica Under-23 coach Joao Carlos Valado Tralhao.
