French striker Thierry Henry has admitted that he considered leaving Arsenal before pledging to stay at the Highbury, French daily L'Equipe reported on Thursday. The 28-year-old has recently committed his future to Arsenal after rumors linked him with a move to Spanish champions Barcelona. "Of course I thought about leaving but on reflection I wanted to say where I stood for the fans' sake," Henry said. Henry stated that the FA Cup winners must match his sporting ambitions in order to prolong his stay with Arsenal. "I repeat, there is every possibility that I will sign a new contract but whatever happens the decision will not be based on money," he added. The former Juventus striker said talks over a new contract has just started but there is long way to go before finalizing the deal. "Since the start of the season there has been a lot of speculation about my future. We have started to think about my future but only very briefly," he said "We have got a lot of matches to play so I don't know when we will resume the discussions. In fact we are only at the beginning," he added. Henry played 18 matches this season for Arsenal, scoring 16 goals in all competitions.