‘Then I can talk about them’ – Thierry Henry will only agree Arsenal can challenge for UCL on one condition

Arsenal secured a 2-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in their second game of the Champions League group phase on Tuesday night, with goals from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka getting the job done.

The Gunners were comfortable against the French team, but Thierry Henry insists they have to start performing like that away from home too to be taken as serious challengers for the elite European competition.

Arsenal were held to a goalless draw by Atalanta in Italy two weeks ago and had no shots on target when they faced Porto in Portugal back in February.

Manager Mikel Arteta will hope to get the best out of his team on the road going forward, and Henry will only be convinced that his old club have what it takes to win the Champions League when they start blowing teams away away from Emirates Stadium.

“It’s normal right now that Arsenal dispatch Paris Saint-Germain at home, especially this Paris Saint-Germain side,” the former forward said on CBS Sports last night.

“I want to win like that away from home, against Paris Saint-Germain. Or whoever comes your way. Go to Inter, and win strong, be strong defensively, none of the ‘no shots on target against Porto’. I want that type of win away from home, then I can talk about them and be loud as an Arsenal fan and say ‘hey, we can win in Europe’.”

The North Londoners have improved significantly under Arteta over the last two seasons, but they still have to get better on the road.

They are yet to start impressing against some tough opponents away from home, with the manager often opting for a different approach against some teams.

Getting results ahead of playing beautiful football remains key for Arsenal, and it does not appear Arteta will stop playing defensively as long as it can get the job done.

They host Shaktar Donetsk next later this month before travelling to San Siro to face Inter Milan in November, and they need to prove themselves against the reigning Serie A champions for Henry and co to take them seriously.