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It’s been over 20 years since Arsenal FC won the English Premier League, however last season they pushed Champions Manchester City all the way. With the 2023/2024 season underway, pundits believe that Mikel Arteta’s team can go step further and win the League.
This current Arsenal side shown throughout last season that although they do have individual tale, they now possess a fighting spirit, of which has not been present in many years. Players like Kai Havertz and Declan Rice have been added to team which are both proven and solid players.
Whilst it is difficult to compare Arsenal’s current striking options to the players who were winning titles for them back in the 90’s and early 00’s, here is a list of the Arsenal’s top 3 strikers in the Premier League.
Ian Wright
Young fans will recognise Wrighty as the affable Match of The Day pundit on the BBC. However, those of us who remember him on the pitch know that he was a striker with real poise who dominated Highbury throughout the 90s.
Ian Wright had the ability to put the ball in the net from any angle, and when his career was complete, the £2.5 million that George Graham paid for him was viewed as an absolute bargain.
In fact, from the moment he scored a hat-trick on his league debut against Southampton, it was clear that it was money well spent. The London born striker was the top scorer for The Gunners for each of the six seasons after he signed.
Dennis Bergkamp
Dutchman Dennis Bergkamp truly was a special talent, he could do anything he wanted with a football. Remembered for being one of the most skillful players to ever set foot in Highbury and added a style to The Gunners that we have never seen before or since.
The Bruce Rioch era isn’t looked back upon with any great fondness, but the signing of Bergkamp was one of the greatest moments. Bergkamp’s first touch is still the stuff that legends are made out of and his ability to bring others into the game was second to none. Dennis Bergkamp and his ‘The Invincibles’ teammates of Patrick Viera, Robert Pires, and Henry etc made Arsenal tickets highly sought-after by fans to witness them in action.
The iconic goal against Newcastle was a work of supreme art, and rumour has it that Andy O’Brien is still trying to find the ball that he swivelled around him. The Dutch national striker finished his Arsenal career with 120 goals, some of them the best in Premier League history.
Thierry Henry
When picking Arsenal’s best-ever striker, it’s impossible to look past their best-ever player, Thierry Henry. The club’s top goal-scorer, and his performances on the pitch were consistently world-class when playing for The Gunners.
Arsene Wenger transferred Henry when he was 22 from Italian side Juventus and he went on to realise his talent in a way that not many players do, installing fear in Premier League defenders season after season. Many of the generation’s great centre-halves list Henry as their toughest ever opponent.
Scoring an epic 226 goals for Arsenal football club over two spells, he truly is an icon of the Gunners and forever will be deemed their best ever player. Whilst he won a Champions League with FC Barcelona, played alongside Lionel Messi and scored 6 times in the FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid game, Arsenal will be whom his name is forever associated with. Quite simply, the best player to ever wear the red North London jersey.
Founder and editor of Footiecentral. A voracious reader who loves reading anything and everything related to the history of football. He’s an ardent supporter of Manchester United and rarely misses a match.