Players to have another shot with Arsenal under Arsene Wenger

Arsenal has completed the signing of French midfielder Mathieu Flamini on a two-year contract after the player was released by AC Milan at the end of the season. This will be the player’s second spell with the Gunners after he played four seasons for the London club between 2004 and 2008 after which he was sold to Milan.

Flamini is the fourth player to be signed twice by the veteran manager Arsene Wenger for the London club and it adds to the illustrious list of players signed by the French manager.

The other players to come back to Arsenal for second spells can be listed as follows –

Thierry Henry

Theirry Henry is one of the most prolific strikers of the modern game and also the highest goal scorer for Arsenal. Arsene Wenger acquired this French talent from Juventus at an estimated fee of eleven million Euros and it marked the beginning of a dominant strike force for the Gunners which boasted of names of Dennis Bergkamp and Nicolas Anelka.

But in an expected turn of events, Henry was sold to Barcelona in 2007 for around 24 million Euros. But the Frenchman made his return to his favoured club when he was signed on a loan spell from New York Red Bulls which saw him score two crucial goals in League and Cup matches.

Sol Campbell

Sol Campbell is one of the most controversial figures in English football as a major unrest among the fans followed his signing for Arsenal from London rivals Tottenham.

The English defender went on to win two EPL trophies and three FA Cups during with stay with the London outfit. He moved to Portsmouth in 2006 and then played for Notts County till 2009.

Arsene Wenger re-signed the defender in January 2010 for a second spell in the club which saw him play half of the season as a regular starter in the Arsenal defence.

Jens Lehmann

Arsene Wenger signed this charismatic goalkeeper from the German club Schalke 04 in the summer of 2003 as a replacement for David Seaman and Lehmann was the custodian for the English club when they achieved their unbeaten season in EPL 2003-2004.

He played till 2008 for the English club, putting together an EPL career consisting of one League Title and one FA Cup triumph. Jens Lehmann bid adieu to the club in 2008 when he signed an one year contract with VfB Stuttgart. But this was not the end as the German goalkeeper resigned with Arsenal in 2011 after insistence from Arsene Wenger, who faced a major crisis due to injuries of the existing squad goalkeepers.

Though he managed only one start in this stint, the Jens Lehmann transfer was a huge boost to the team morale.

Thus, it can safely be said that players coming back for a second spell in Arsenal is quite common under the Wenger reign and it is left to be seen how much difference the re-signing of Mathieu Flamini makes to the future of the Gunners.

P.S. Arsenal legend John Lukic joined the Gunners for the second time two months before the appointment of Arsene Wenger in 1996. The legendary goalkeeper played 223 matches between 1983 and 1990 for the London club during his first stint.