Thierry Henry has told Arsenal they must do everything in their power to hold on to Cesc Fabregas.
The Spanish midfielder has been linked with a £40million move away from the Emirates, with European giants Barcelona, Real Madrid and AC Milan all keen on signing him.
And with the Gunners having failed to land a trophy since their FA Cup triumph in 2005, speculation has mounted that Fabregas, 22, could be tempted away from the club.
Last month, Fabregas criticised the Gunners over their lack of silverware, calling the club 'impotent'.
But former Arsenal ace Henry — now at Barcelona himself — has warned Arsene boss Arsene Wenger he cannot afford to lose his skipper.
Henry said: "It is vital Arsenal keep Cesc. Vital.
"He is the Arsenal captain and he is young and I'm sure he wants to give something back to the club. Knowing him, he will.
"But it is vital they keep Cesc."
Henry, 31, insists if the Gunners can keep Fabregas at the club, they have a squad capable of challenging for honours next season — despite being unable to compete with the Premier League's big spenders in the transfer market.
He added: "When I talk about Arsenal, my heart will always rule my head. It is not easy to lose [Emmanuel] Adebayor and what happened to [Samir] Nasri was not what Arsene would have been hoping for.
"But I hope they can win the league and win everything they can, that's always my feeling about my old club.
"What I know about Arsenal from my time there was not about finishing in the top four — it was about winning the league.
"That's how I saw it when I was there and I still see it like that, they are a big club. Arsene has proved so many times he can win things without spending a lot of money and hopefully they can do it again.
"The only thing that matters to me is not who is in the top four, it's who is going to be top and I know that's how Arsene sees it too."
Henry also moved to dismiss rumours he could one day return to the Premier League, with megabucks Manchester City said to be keen on signing him.
Asked if he would ever return to England, the Frenchman added: "No. You guys were talking a lot about that for me!
"Seriously, I had a difficult first season here but when we won the Treble we had a very special bond on the pitch.
"I wasn't happy enough with what I did in my first season at Barcelona and I wasn't happy with some of the games I played in last season when we won the Treble. It's just the way I am.
"There's a lot of pressure at Barcelona and it's not always easy, but trust me, it is enjoyable."
Source: The sun
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