5 of the best homegrown players in Arsenal's history

#4 Ashley Cole

Cole was an important part of the Arsenal Invincibles

Ashley Cole was the one Arsenal let slip through their fingers, all over £5,000 a week according to the man himself.However, before he would move on to Chelsea in 2006, he had a magnificent seven years with the Gunners.

Cole made his Premier League debut at 19 in 2000 but was not to become a first team regular until the next season when Sylvinho, Arsenal’s first-choice left-back, suffered an injury. It was Cole’s chance to shine, and he sure took advantage of the opportunity.

The Englishman made 228 first-team appearances in total for Arsenal and was extremely consistent and vital to Arsene Wenger’s way of playing. He provided great width and was permanently charging forward as Arsenal broke away at serious pace on the counter-attack in the days of the 2002 and 2004 Premier League winning Arsenal sides.

He also won three FA Cups in just a four year period with Arsenal, and his importance could be seen when he left. Gael Clichy, his understudy, would fill the void he left, but could never fully replace the Englishman.

It’s no surprise that Arsenal’s demise from the top of the league and their loss of Cole go hand in hand, as he went on to provide lots of success at his next club, Chelsea.

Despite Arsenal fans’ hatred for him, they will always know just how talented the home-grown Englishman was.