Black History Month: The Top Ten best black players for Arsenal from 2000 to 2009

Just Arsenal News

·11 octobre 2024

Black History Month: The Top Ten best black players for Arsenal from 2000 to 2009

Carrying on our celebration of Black History month, here are my top 10 Black players from 2000- 2009

Love to know your list – criteria is they must have made their Arsenal debut in this period

Vidéos OneFootball

10- Eboue

I may have snuck the defender onto the list because of his character. There are certainly other candidates who could have made the top 10 but few appreciated playing for Arsenal more than the right back.

Often when I was in attendance at the Emirates, I would watch at full time the player do his own personal lap of honour, thanking all corners of the ground.

I would often remark he made it as a player purely on his pace. His final ball could be erratic so he would often get to the bar line and hit the ball as hard as he could.

After a spell being bankrupt and homeless, I’m glad to say Eboue is doing better

9- Song

Has numerous times since said he regretted leaving for Barcelona. Because that was the same summer Van Persie left, the midfielders exit was downplayed.

At the club since 17 he developed into a DM who finally gave us a physical replacement for Vieira.

Yet he started to add assists to his game. A lot of Van Persie’s famous volleys came from Song’s long passes

8- Clichy

Whatever your opinion of how Cole left Highbury, when we swapped him with Gallas plus 5 million it seemed we were getting the best out of the deal.

We were getting a proven centre back and had a ready-made replacement at left back.

Clichy had been prepared for the role, either replacing an injured Cole or coming off the bench to play in front of him when defending leads. Had many of Cole’s qualities going forward.

Another player who had to go to Manchester to add medals to his CV

7- Sagna

Some full backs can be great at defending but not confident going forward or an attacking outlet but defensively vulnerable.

Sagna could be trusted to do both. One of those players who worse case would always give you a 7 out of 10 every week.

Unfortunately fell into that trap of having to leave a young squad to get the title medal he deserved. Did at least lift the FA Cup in his last game as a Gunner.

Would have been terrible if he didn’t have a medal to show for his 7 years in North London.

6 Theo Walcott

I sense if Theo Walcott was not English, 3 FA Cups and only one of 8 Gunners to score more than 100 goals would be celebrated?

Instead (not helped by going to a World Cup aged 16) since a teenager there was an expectation on the player to be special and simply good is seen as negative.

Later in his career he would be accused of not having the footballing brain and staying in his comfort zone

Little sympathy for injuries that meant he never got a settled run in the side

5 Wiltord

While not having as much legendary status as other members of the French Connection, Wiltord become immortal for his winner at Old Trafford.

Even though it was a tap in, sometimes where you score, and its consequences are added value. That might in Manchester sealed a Domestic Double meaning his legacy will last forever.

In that same season an injury to Pires in the run in led to the striker being asked to play our wide, the latest player Mr Wenger viewed as having the versatility to play in more than one position.

A player though can only do that if he has football intelligence

4 Gilberto Silva

If everyone keeps saying you were underrated how underrated can you actually be?

For club and country though, Silva was the one who did the less glamorous side of things, winning the ball back, playing it safe so the more flair players could express themselves.

Rivals Petit as Vieira’s best midfield partner.

Doesn’t get enough credit for the leadership qualities he showed when the club transitioned from Highbury to the Emirates

3 Toure

A myth that has been passed on to generations of Gooners is that Mr Wenger couldn’t spot a centre back. That any quality he had from this position was inherited.

Which simply isn’t true.

You don’t go an entire league season unbeaten if you haven’t recruited defenders who are very good at their job.

Second only to teaching Thierry Henry to transition into a striker, asking Kolo Toure to learn how to play in the middle of our defence is one the greatest tactical moves in our history

2 Lauren

A myth exists in our fanbase that Mr Wenger couldn’t build a defence and was simply lucky to inherit the back 4 that he did.

Yet it was Mr Wenger’s vision to convince Lauren to make right back his permanent position.

One of the most underrated Gunners of all time, the full back could do it all.

He could defend, attack, take a penalty and wouldn’t be bullied. If he needed to fight, he wasn’t shy getting physical.

The most successful African Gunner

1 Campbell

One of the best free transfers in the sport’s history.

Arsenal got a world class defender who could walk into our dressing room and immediately become one of our main leaders. All of that and we didn’t have to pay a fee.

Plus, it wound Spurs fans up which is a bonus.

I don’t get why they are not proud?

A youth prospect who went on to lift the League title at White Hart Lane. Name another Tottenham captain who did that?

Dan

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