Arsenal Number 9s Through History - The Good And Bad

After many weeks of speculation, Arsenal have finally tied down the signing of their new forward Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City.

At a cost of £45 million, Jesus becomes the Gunners’ third signing of the season after signing a five-year-deal with the North Londoners.

The move sees the forward reunited with a number of old faces, such as that of his former Man City first-team coach Mikel Arteta, as well as other Brazil internationals.

For an additional touch of familiarity, Jesus has also been given the number nine shirt, donned in his latter years at the Etihad Stadium.

The squad number holds great significance for the 25-year-old, having been compared to the Ronaldo ‘Fenomeno’ during his Palmeiras days by the man himself.

But meanwhile the endorsement leaves Jesus plenty to live up to, the success of his nine-wearing predecessors in North London appears far more varied.

Alexandre Lacazette: 2017-2022

Touching down at the capital with goal-scoring pedigree, Alexandre Lacazette came to Arsenal with the hallmarks of what the Gunners had been crying out for since the departure of Robin van Persie..

An impressive 28 goals in 30 appearances for Olympique Lyonnais was just enough to make up Arsène Wenger’s mind, spending a club-record £46.5 million on the Frenchman who took just 40 seconds to find the back of the net on his debut.

A respectable return of 14 league goals in his first season was succeeded by a greater number of assists (10) under the tutelage of Unai Emery, the following campaign.

But as the striker’s physical powers waned and Arsenal’s form plummeted, Lacazette’s stock suffered much like his goal tally did, as he bowed out in North London to the tune of just four goals in 30 league appearances.

Lacazette now returns to Lyon after 206 appearances and 71 goals for the Gunners.

Lucas Perez: 2016-2017

After an eye-catching La Liga campaign for his beloved Deportivo de La Coruña in 2016, scoring 17 and assisting ten, Lucas Perez found himself on Arsenal’s shortlist.

The Spaniard, supposedly at the peak of his powers, was snapped up for a cool £17 million that same summer in a bid to sharpen Wenger’s attack.

Highs followed Perez to London, such as his 39-minute hat-trick away to FC Basel in the Champions League group stages, but the forward ultimately struggled to gain the trust of his manager.

Despite providing 14 goal contributions in just 22 appearances all season, Perez lasted just a year at the Emirates before being loaned back to Deportivo and eventually sold to West Ham United.

Lukas Podolski: 2012-2014

London-bound from Germany, Cologne, Lukas Podolski represented somewhat of a coup for Arsenal in the summer of 2012 for just £13 million.

With over 100 caps for Die Mannschaft, the ex-Bayern Munich forward arrived as a complement to Olivier Giroud, also signed in 2012 from Montpellier.

The two combined well throughout ‘Poldi’s’ debut campaign, containing 11 league goals and 10 assists, but the German ultimately failed to provide the presence Arsenal required in attack, often ghosting in and out of games.

The current Gornik Zabrze striker saw his minutes reduced the following year as a consequence, prior to spells with Inter Milan on loan and Galatasaray on a permanent basis.

Park Chu-Young: 2011-2012

A feature in one of Arsenal’s darkest episodes, Park Chu-Young was one of five deadline-day signings made in the wake of the Gunners’ humiliating 8-2 defeat away to Manchester United in 2011.

The Korean striker found the back of the net 12 times for AS Monaco, relegated that same season, before finding himself on the brink of a move to Lille.

As news filtered through of Premier League interest, however, Park pursued a dream move to Arsenal instead, with the number nine shirt awaiting him.

The transfer quickly became a nightmare after clocking up just seven minutes of Premier League football and six first-team appearances altogether, scoring just once in red and white.

Park, now at Ulsan Hyundai, was moved onto Celta Vigo and Watford on loan before being released in 2014.

Eduardo da Silva: 2007-2010

With little furore, Eduardo da Silva joined Arsenal in the summer of 2007 from Dinamo Zagreb before blossoming pleasantly as a mainstay throughout his debut campaign.

Forming a handy duo with Emmanuel Adebayor, the Brazilian-born Croatia international had his eyes set on an impressive start to life in North London with 12 goals and nine assists by February.

That month, however, Eduardo was downed by a reckless Martin Taylor challenge, fracturing the centre forward’s leg and sidelining him for a whole year.

Adebayor’s form took a hit, firing blanks in nine of his last 12 league appearances without his strike-partner, meanwhile top-of-the-table Arsenal saw a five-point-lead turn into a four-point-deficit and a third-placed finish.

Unable to recapture his former self, Eduardo’s injury virtually signalled the end of a short-lived spell with the Gunners after departing in 2009, joining Shakhtar Donetsk and later retiring in 2017.

Júlio Baptista: 2006-2007

Nicknamed the beast, Júlio Baptista was hot on Arsenal’s radar in the mid-noughties after a couple of dazzling seasons with Sevilla, notching 44 goals in 74 appearances for ‘Los Nervionenses’.

The Gunners were pipped in the hunt for the Brazilian in 2005, opting to join Real Madrid instead, but the powerful striker was back in association with Arsenal after the two clubs agreed a deadline-day loan swap, paving way for José Antonio Reyes’ arrival at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Much like his time in Madrid, however, Júlio Baptista was rather unremarkable in Arsenal colours, reserving his best football for League Cup action.

Lining up alongside a fresh-faced Jérémie Aliadière, the Brazil international is perhaps best remembered for his four-goal haul versus Liverpool at Anfield in a 6-3 win, en route to an eventual final against Chelsea at the Millenium Stadium.

Júlio Baptista could only manage three league goals all season, however, upon a swift exit.

José Antonio Reyes: 2004-2006

Joining at the tail-end of Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’ era, Reyes still managed to play a crucial role in keeping the Gunners’ historic run alive.

The ex-Sevilla man reserved one of the two Premier League goals to his name in his debut season for the 1-1 draw away to Portsmouth that had Arsenal’s feat in the balance with just three games to go.

Reyes took the buzz into the new season with an eye-catching commence to the 2004/05 campaign, finding the back of the net in five consecutive fixtures.

But just as Man United capped the run of invincibility at 49 games, Reyes’ form began to scatter and fears of feeling homesick started to seep in.

After months of speculation, Reyes was granted a move back to his native Spain, joining Real Madrid on loan in 2006 before eventually being sold to their cross-city rivals Atlético Madrid the following year.

Francis Jeffers: 2001-2004

At the youthful age of 20, Francis Jeffers was ear-marked as somewhat of a potential wonderkid upon a switch to the Gunners from Everton, costing the club’s coffers a substantial £13.5 million.

The step up proved to be tricky for the young Englishman, however, who only made ten appearances in his debut campaign whilst at Highbury.

His sophomore year presented minor improvements with 28 appearances and six goals to his name, but it was far from the promise the Arsenal faithful had envisioned when landing the poacher.

The North Londoners toyed with a temporary switch back home to Everton, also unsuccessful, before biting the bullet on the failed transfer and offloading Jeffers to Charlton Athletic in 2004.

Jeffers went on to represent a whole host of clubs, such as Blackburn Rovers, Ipswich Town and Sheffield Wednesday with muted success.

Davor Šuker: 1999-2000

One of the stars of the late nineties, Davor Šuker came third only to Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo ‘Fenomeno’ in the 1998 FIFA World Player awards, so you can imagine the buzz around the Croatian’s signature when touching down at Highbury bearing the number nine shirt.

Arriving from Real Madrid for under £4 million, London wasn’t the home the striker’s talent was crying out for, however, as he battled with competition for places with Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry and Nwakwo Kanu.

Despite scoring one more than main-man Bergkamp in his one year in North London, Šuker called time on his Arsenal career after mustering just 21 league appearances.

His final touch for the Gunners? A penalty miss in the UEFA Cup Final shoot-out conquered by Galatasaray in 2000.

Šuker signed for West Ham shortly after before retiring in 2003.

Nicolas Anelka: 1997-1999

At just 17 years of age, Nicolas Anelka came into the Arsenal fold after being picked up swiftly by Wenger for a mere £500,000 from Paris-Saint Germain in February 1997.

A young prodigy at the time, Anelka took his chance when it came in 1997/98, following Ian Wright’s struggles with injuries.

Six goals in 26 league appearances contributed towards his first major title in professional football as Arsenal were crowned Premier League champions in 1998.

The list of admirers continued to grow across a 17-goal-season, missing only back-to-back titles to crown the Frenchman's bubbling career.

Anelka’s unhappiness in London and desire to find a way out soon became public, however, and by August 1999, the 20-year-old was completing a mega-move to Real Madrid for £22 million.

In a switch the striker later grew to regret, Anelka turned into a somewhat of a journeyman whilst Arsenal invested his transfer fee into the capture of Henry, from Juventus, and the construction of the club’s training base, London Colney.