Ranking the 5 best Arsenal players in Premier League history

Arsene Wenger groomed a handful of talented players as Arsenal's manager.
Arsene Wenger groomed a handful of talented players as Arsenal's manager.

Arsenal may not have the most Premier League titles or UEFA Champions League trophies. However, one notable achievement is that they have not been relegated from England's top division since their establishment.

Throughout the club's history, many players have come and gone. Two Arsenal managers, George Graham and Arsene Wenger, played a significant role in discovering and developing numerous talents at the club.

These players all played in the Premier League between the 1980s and the early 2000s. Since then, few have gotten close to reaching their achievements. On that note, here is a look at the top five Arsenal players in Premier League history.

Special mentions should also go to the likes of Freddie Ljungberg, David Seaman, Robert Pires and Jens Lehmann.


#5 Patrick Vieira

Patrick Vieira is now Crystal Palace's manager.
Patrick Vieira is now Crystal Palace's manager.

Fifth on the list is Patrick Vieira. The French midfielder is currently Crystal Palace's new manager and will face his old club in the upcoming season.

After an unsuccessful spell at AC Milan, Vieira joined Arsenal in August of 1996 and started building a reputation for himself. Powerful, athletic and accurate in his passing, the French midfielder is one of the best in his position at Arsenal and in the Premier League.

Vieira was able to regain possession quickly and help his side transition to attack without any hitches during his time at Arsenal.

In 2002, Vieira was appointed club captain after Tony Adams announced his retirement. He went on to lead the Invincibles to Premier League glory as Arsenal went on an unbeaten run in the 2003-04 season.

Former Arsenal player Martin Keown once said:

"You look at Dennis Bergkamp and you look at Thierry Henry and people say they are great players and rightly so. There are statues of these guys outside the Emirates Stadium, but without Patrick winning the ball and giving it to them, they would almost be redundant."

#4 Tony Adams

Tony Adams spent his whole career playing at Arsenal.
Tony Adams spent his whole career playing at Arsenal.

With four Premier League titles across three decades at the club, Tony Adams is truly the epitome of a one-club man.

Adams graduated from the academy in 1983 and soon established himself as a regular player in Graham's starting XI. Known for his physicality and ability to time his tackles well, Adams, together with Lee Dixon, Nigel Winterburn and Steve Bould, formed Graham's "Famous Back Four".

With one of the best backlines in Premier League history, Adams helped Arsenal win their first Premier League trophy in 18 years in 1989. The English international would then go on to win three more domestic titles, three FA Cup trophies and two English Super Cups.

Nicknamed Mr. Arsenal, the centre-back was a great leader at the back even though he lacked pace. At 21, Adams was made the club's new captain and remained in that role until his retirement in 2001.

Unfortunately, Adam's managerial career has been far less successful and in 2017, he was relieved of his duties at Granada after losing all seven games in charge.

#3 Ian Wright

Ian Wright was a prolific goalscorer at club level
Ian Wright was a prolific goalscorer at club level

Despite spending just seven years with Arsenal, Ian Wright quickly established himself as the club's all-time highest scorer. His record was later bested by none other than Thierry Henry.

The forward joined the Gunners in 1991 for a club-record fee of £2.5 million. Wright found most of his success at Arsenal while playing under George Graham. He regularly topped the scoring charts and helped the North London club reach the finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1994.

The arrival of Dennis Bergkamp in 1995 and Wenger in 1996 helped Wright sustain his scoring streak even as he entered his thirties. The English forward was a clinical finisher. Wright finally won the Premier League with Arsenal at the age of 34 in the 1997-98 season.

Wherever Wright was, there would be goals. Although the striker was not as prolific for the England national team, his accomplishments at club level were extremely impressive. This certainly warrants Wright a place among the five best Arsenal players in Premier League history.


#2 Thierry Henry

Thierry Henry is Arsenal's highest top scorer of all time
Thierry Henry is Arsenal's highest top scorer of all time

Thierry Henry is without a doubt, one of the greatest Arsenal players of all time. The striker had two spells with the Gunners - from 1999 to 2007 and a short loan spell in 2012. When Henry first joined Arsenal from Juventus, not much was known about him.

Wenger, however, already knew about the forward from their time together at Monaco. Costing £11 million at that time, many critics did not believe Henry was worth such a price tag.

In the Ballon d'Or winner's first season at Arsenal, he scored 26 goals and helped the Gunners finish second in the Premier League. Henry's hard work soon paid off as he lifted the Premier League title and FA Cup trophy in the 2001-02 season. The French international finished the season as the league's top scorer and scored 32 goals in all competitions.

Having set high expectations for all Arsenal fans, Henry once again played an influential role in the club's Invincibles season (2003-04). In that season alone, the former Barcelona man netted 30 times in 37 Premier League games.

Fans will continue to wonder if there will ever be a player like Henry at Arsenal again.


#1 Dennis Bergkamp

Dennis Bergkamp played a crucial role as a second striker.
Dennis Bergkamp played a crucial role as a second striker.

Without Dennis Bergkamp, Henry and Wright might not have been as successful as they had been. In 2015, the 43-year-old Belgium assistant coach named Bergkamp as the best player he has ever played with.

Henry said:

“He could score but he could pass, past, pick the right moment. He was always trying to respect the game when he could do other stuff and that’s why I respected him a lot for that."

Bergkamp played for Arsenal between 1995 and 2006. Regarded as one of the most technically gifted players in England, Arsenal's second striker was quick and possessed an excellent first touch.

In his 407 appearances for the Gunners, Bergkamp scored 111 goals and provided 93 assists. Although he netted far fewer goals than Henry and Wright, the Dutchman's contributions to the club are no less significant.

Today, Arsenal have a statue outside the Emirates Stadium to serve as a reminder of what Bergkamp has done for the club. He is the first and only Dutch international to be named in the English Football Hall of Fame. Additionally, Bergkamp was inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame earlier in 2021.

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Edited by Ritwik Kumar