Ljungberg to West Ham: Henry’s departure influential

Freddie Ljungberg and his undie clad bod will be seen at Upton Park. Yeah, the nine season Arsenal mainstay whose injuries the last two season saw depleted minutes, has transfered as a 3.5m pound signing all part of the Hammers whose rebuilding efforts included a near signing of Darren Bent before being Spur-ned and who now have to contend with Carlitos Tevez likely to leave for the rarified climes of Old Trafford.
His reason: It was all Henry’s departure.
“For me that didn’t really happen. I stayed because I wanted to stay loyal to Arsenal. But when Henry left this summer it felt like the end for me unfortunately.”
That might be. But Ljungberg’s injuries and consequent lack of pace saw falling minutes which meant that the writing on the wall was clear. He had become incidental to Wenger’s future plans and even the touted leadership role was a bit overblown because Freddie was never a locker room leader, despite being Sweden’s captain. Well, he did give Arsenal a lot of glam and some great goals. His personal best 17 goals helped Arsenal win the double in 2002 coming on as Roberto Pires played hurt that season.
So thanks for all the memories, Freddie!