Ranking each Arsenal forward after Thierry Henry departed for Barcelona
After Thierry Henry left Arsenal for Barcelona, the standard he set during his eight-year tenure proved to be a tough act to follow. None of the strikers who joined the team after him have been able to match his level of excellence.
As Arsenal’s all-time leading scorer with 227 goals, replacing him with a player of equivalent caliber has been a daunting task.
The following is a ranking of the 15 out-and-out strikers who have made their debut for the club since Henry’s departure, based on their performance.
14. Park Chu-young
Park was an unusual signing for Arsene Wenger, as he was not a young player the manager took a gamble on, but rather a 26-year-old who had just suffered relegation with Monaco.
Despite being assigned Arsenal’s No.9 shirt upon his arrival in 2011, Park’s time with the club was short-lived, as he only made seven appearances before being released in 2014. The reasoning behind his signing and subsequent lack of playing time remains somewhat of a mystery.
13. Chuba Akpom
Although he had success with the Arsenal Under 21 team, Akpom struggled to make an impact during a series of unsuccessful loan spells in the Championship.
He never scored for Arsenal and only made 12 appearances in the Premier League for his childhood club before departing to join PAOK Salonika of the Greek Super League in 2018.
Currently, he is performing well for Middlesbrough under the leadership of Michael Carrick and is leading the scoring charts in the second tier of English football.
12. Jay Emmanuel-Thomas
Another player who came through the Arsenal academy, but failed to make an impact in the first team, was not able to score in the six appearances he made for the club.
11. Yaya Sanogo
Yaya Sanogo is most notably remembered for his impressive four-goal performance against Benfica in the 2014 Emirates Cup, which turned out to be a deceiving pre-season showing.
Yaya Sanogo to leave Arsenal after 4 years and one goal. Thanks for the memories. pic.twitter.com/24MLEdTapu
— Paddy Power (@paddypower) June 5, 2017
Unfortunately, this turned out to be the peak of his time at Arsenal, as the Frenchman only managed to make 20 appearances for the club. His solitary competitive goal for the Gunners came in a match against Borussia Dortmund in the same year.
10. Lucas Perez
Lucas Perez arrived at Arsenal in 2016, having had an impressive season in La Liga. However, he failed to replicate his success in England and struggled to get playing time under Arsene Wenger.
Although he did manage to score a hat-trick against Basel in the Champions League, Perez only made 11 appearances in the Premier League for the Gunners. He subsequently spent a season on loan with Deportivo La Coruña before signing for West Ham in 2018.
9. Marouane Chamakh
The mere inclusion of Chamakh in this list signifies the lack of quality Arsenal have had in their strikers over the past 15 years. Chamakh joined the club in 2010 and managed to score 14 goals in 67 appearances before moving on to underwhelming stints at West Ham, Crystal Palace, and Cardiff.
8. Thierry Henry
When Arsenal decided to bring back Thierry Henry on a short-term loan deal in 2012, many people saw it as a questionable decision. There was concern that this move could tarnish his legacy, as he was expected to be a mere shadow of the player he once was.
However, in his second debut for the club, Henry silenced any doubts by scoring the winning goal against Leeds.
On this day 2012 Thierry Henry returned to Arsenal and scored in the win over Leeds United in the FA Cup third roundpic.twitter.com/9J9goq4Vab
— Classic Football Shirts (@classicshirts) January 9, 2019
“One of my last acts in the FA Cup was special too: my strike against Leeds when I came back to London in 2012 was my favourite goal for Arsenal,” Henry told The Sun.
“It was so emotional. It wasn’t about technique or about the score, it was what it meant to me.”
7. Eduardo
Following Thierry Henry’s departure to Barcelona in 2007, Arsenal used the transfer fee to sign Eduardo from Dinamo Zagreb.
Despite a challenging beginning, the Croatian eventually adjusted to the English game and showed signs of becoming a promising player.
Unfortunately, his progress was halted when he suffered a broken leg during a match against Birmingham in February 2008.
Upon his recovery, Eduardo struggled to get back into the starting lineup, and he eventually left Arsenal to join Shakhtar Donetsk in 2010.
6. Danny Welbeck
Danny Welbeck joined Arsenal in 2014 from Manchester United, and he made a promising start to his career with the Gunners.
However, he struggled to maintain his early form, and his goal-scoring output decreased.
Additionally, Welbeck was plagued by recurring injuries, and he departed from Arsenal at the end of the 2018-19 season, having scored a total of 32 goals in 126 appearances.
Nevertheless, his winning goal against Manchester United in an FA Cup quarter-final at Old Trafford remains a fond memory for Arsenal fans.
5. Eddie Nketiah
Eddie Nketiah is a product of Arsenal’s youth academy and made his debut for the club in 2017. Despite being close to leaving the club, he managed to earn a contract extension due to a strong run of form towards the end of last season.
In the absence of first-choice striker Gabriel Jesus, Nketiah has scored some crucial goals for Arsenal and has helped keep their surprise title challenge for the 2022-23 season on track. He is currently 23 years old.
4. Alexandre Lacazette
Despite not reaching the same goalscoring heights as Aubameyang, Lacazette had a successful five-year stint at the Emirates.
He was particularly impressive in the 2018-19 season, earning the club’s Player of the Year award, and contributed a total of 71 goals in 206 appearances for the Gunners.
As his role evolved into more of a target man and mentor to younger players in later seasons, he faced criticism from some fans, but overall, he served Arsenal well and deserves a respectable ranking on the list.
3. Olivier Giroud
It’s worth noting that Giroud was an instrumental part of the Arsenal team that reached the knockout stages of the Champions League in four consecutive seasons from 2013 to 2016.
Despite the criticism he sometimes received, he was a reliable and consistent scorer for the club and formed a key part of their attack for several years.
2. Gabriel Jesus
Although he may not conform to traditional No.9 playing style, the Brazilian player wears the shirt and his quality and clever movements benefit his teammates Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, and Gabriel Martinelli.
Jesus’ presence has been crucial in Arsenal’s impressive 2022-23 season and his return will further strengthen their title aspirations.
While he may not be as efficient in scoring as the current top-ranked player on this list, there is a strong case to be made that he significantly improves Arsenal’s overall performance.
If he can lead Arsenal to win the Premier League championship, he could potentially move up to the top spot on this list.
1. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Despite ending on a negative note, Aubameyang’s time at Arsenal was successful due to his outstanding performance during his early years with the club.
He quickly made an impact after joining from Borussia Dortmund in 2018, scoring 33 goals in his first 50 Premier League games, surpassing Thierry Henry’s record of 30 goals in the same number of games.
While he may not be as highly regarded as Henry, Aubameyang’s accomplishments include scoring a decisive two goals in the 2020 FA Cup final and winning the Premier League Golden Boot in 2019.
With a remarkable 92 goals in 163 appearances, there is no doubt that Aubameyang’s contribution to Arsenal has been exceptional, making him a clear and undeniable standout.
Ranking each Arsenal forward after Thierry Henry departed for Barcelona
Ranking each Arsenal forward after Thierry Henry departed for Barcelona
Ranking each Arsenal forward after Thierry Henry departed for Barcelona
