Henry promises decision on future before World Cup

Arsenal's Thierry Henry celebrates after scoring is team's second goal against Juventus during a Champions League quarter-final at Highbury in London. Henry has insisted his club future will be resolved before the World Cup finals get underway in Germany in June.

Arsenal striker Thierry Henry has insisted his club future will be resolved before the World Cup finals get underway in Germany in June.

The 28-year-old France international has been repeatedly linked with a move to Spanish giants Barcelona although Arsenal are keen to keep the keystone of their attack at Highbury.

"At the end of the season we are going to have to take a decision. It will be done before the World Cup, that's for sure," Henry, who scored the North London club's second goal in their 2-0 midweek Champions League quarter-final first leg win at home to Juventus, said Friday.

And he insisted that financial considerations would not be a factor in whether he stayed or moved.

"People were talking about money, but I think people should know by now I am not someone who thinks about the money before the game," he added.

"That is why, when I talked about sporting ambitions, I was talking about the pitch and nothing else," Henry also told Arsenal TV Online.

In the meantime he stressed that the speculation over his future was not affecting his performance.

"People wonder whether it does disturb me, but I said so many times when you look at my performances on the pitch for my club that should be an answer to all these kind of questions.

"We are talking with the board and with Arsenal at the moment about the contract situation. But there are so many things at stake that we should talk about.

"My main concern right now is to finish in the top four - because it's vital for the club and anything that is going to happen at the club next, and to concentrate on winning the Champions League.

"That is where my focus is right now, because if you start to think of (contract talks) over what you should be thinking about on the pitch then it can disturb you. But it hasn't."

Arsenal are currently five points shy of fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur but do have a game in hand over their North London rivals.

However, Henry admitted that with planning his future had been made more difficult by there being so many unresolved factors in Arsenal's season.

"If we were maybe like Chelsea - 20 (sic) points ahead and in the semi-final of the FA Cup, and already out of the Champions League - maybe you can start to think about stuff," he added.

"We are not in that situation, and I cannot afford to keep my foot off the pedal and think about other stuff when my team needs me to be focused on what we're doing right now - trying to get in the top four and maybe, finally, getting our hands on that (Champions League) trophy."