The Top Strikers in Arsenal History
Established over a century ago in London, Arsenal has had quite the glorious history. One of the most successful clubs in the UK, the Gunners have had their fair share of ups and downs. The club has won 13 league titles and a slew of other trophies although it never managed to get its hands on the Champions League.
The club’s best era came under French manager Arsene Wenger. Serving as the head coach between 1996 and 2018, Wenger revolutionized English football with his brilliant tactical plan and reliance on youth. Under Wenger’s guidance, the Gunners won three Premier League titles and a record 7 FA Cups. The professor also managed a feat that has never been done ever since when he led The Invincibles to a PL-winning season without a loss.
Times are much worse right now. The Gunners are nowhere near the top of the list of bookie favourites. Check any list of all the latest bookmakers offers and you’ll see that Arsenal’s odds to win the PL title this season are depressing. Valued at 1500/1, it’s obvious that the club is as far away from the glory days as possible and it seems like there’s no end of the misery in sight. Liverpool and Manchester City top the list of bookmaker favourites with odds of 1/20 and 14/1 respectively – those should be indicators enough of how low Arsenal has fallen behind.
Things aren’t any better when it comes to European trophies, with Arsenal lagging behind Manchester United, Sevilla, Inter Milan, and Ajax. The Gunners’ odds are 9/1 – that’s not exactly great for a team that should always be among the top trophy hunters.
Although times are bad now, many great players have taken the pitch in Arsenal’s colors throughout the years. Some of them have become football legends in their own way and wore the Gunners badge with pride. Below you can see a list of the top 3 Arsenal strikers that will never fade from fans’ memory.
Dennis Bergkamp
There aren’t that many forwards in the world with the style and grace of Dennis Bergkamp. The Dutch striker arrived in Arsenal in 1995 and scored 87 goals in total in 315 games until 2006. Renowned for his fine technique and a great eye for goal, Bergkamp is one of the best players of his generation.
The non-flying Dutchman was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2007 and is the first Dutch player to receive the award. The highlight of his Arsenal career was the wonder goal against Newcastle which was later voted the best goal in the league’s history.
Thierry Henry
Widely considered the best player, not striker, in Arsenal’s history, the French legend was a devastating Gunner. He scored 174 goals in the PL 254 matches and became Arsenal’s all-time top scorer with 228 goals behind his name. During his Arsenal career, Henry was a part of the Invincibles and a club captain. He later went on to have a very successful career in Barcelona and the New York Red Bulls before returning to London for a very brief spell.
Ian Wright
Signed in 1991, no one could have thought of the impact Ian Wright would have on Arsenal. He lifted the League title and was Arsenal’s top scorer for 6 seasons in a row. At the time, Wright was so good that sports company Nike posted advertisement billboards over London that said: “Behind every great goalkeeper there’s a ball from Ian Wright.”
Robin van Persie
The Flying Dutchman isn’t remembered fondly among Gunners fans as he left for Manchester United after 8 years in Arsenal, but he’s nevertheless one of the best strikers in the club’s history. Van Persie scored 96 goals in the Premier League with Arsenal with 35 of those coming in his final season at Arsenal before joining their arch-rivals Manchester United.
