He reached the milestone in only 181 games and the record is even more remarkable given that he arrived at Highbury three-and-a-half years ago as a winger from Juventus.

It was a masterstroke by Arsene Wenger to convert Henry into an out-and-out striker who is still only 25 and Bergkamp feels that Wright’s record of 185 goals in 288 games is very much within his grasp if he stays at the club.

Bergkamp said: “The fact he has reached 100 goals in such a short time says a lot. He is an out-and-out goalscorer but he also has everything that a striker needs.

“He has got all the skills a striker would like to have – pace, skill, strength, finishing – and he’s got them at a very high level.

“Is the best striker in the world? If you look at him, the whole package that he’s got, then I don’t think you will find that anywhere else.

“As a striker, you have to have the confidence that you team-mates are going to give you the right ball and who’s going to stop him with his pace?

“There’s not a defender in the world who can stop him. If he stays with the club then Ian Wright’s record is within reach.

“He’s got to 100 in three-and-a-half seasons and if the club can keep him for the same amount of time again then he could go all the way to the record. He’s on the way to being a legend. He’s doing that right now.”

Bergkamp can recall Henry’s early days at Highbury after he had suffered a loss of confidence towards the end of his time in Italy.

He said: “I know from my own experiences that you don’t get a lot of space in Italy. I felt at that time it would be good for him to fit into another team and use that space on the wing that you have in England.

“But slowly and surely he went into the middle. He created a lot of chances for himself and after that he started to score the goals as well. It was important he got used to the game in England and he did that.”

Henry was typically modest in playing-down his own achievements which helped stretch the Gunners into a five-point lead at the top of the Premiership as he praised Wenger for switching his roles as a player.

He said: “It was brilliant to get to 100 goals but there are a lot of great players around me, people have a lot of confidence in me – and without them it wouldn’t have happened.

“A lot of people wondered what Arsene was doing when he played me in the centre and they have the answer now – and I hope it won’t be the last answer!

“I had to learn to play as a striker and it was not easy. More often I was putting the ball into the stands rather than the back of the net. Now it is going more into the back of the net than the stands.”

As for beating Wright’s record, Henry insisted: “He was a great guy who did so much for Arsenal and I just want to do the same sort of things as him.

“I don’t want to try to compete with him or beat him. If it happens, it happens. I’m not looking for that.

“I’ve seen all his goals on tape and everyone loves him at the club and still talks about him now. If I am loved in the same way, that will be a great thing.”

Blues manager Steve Bruce is stepping up his bid to sign Arsenal defender Matthew Upson with an offer on the table of around £1m (€1.54m) rising to £3m (€4.62m) depending on the club’s success and appearances.

Upson is expected to travel to the Midlands later in the week to discuss personal terms and the odds are strongly in favour of him becoming Bruce’s fifth signing since the transfer window re-opened.