Arsenal have had a litany of French players and have one in the present squad which is the ever-reliable William Saliba but some aren’t fondly remembered.
The fans won’t forget Thierry Henry who is arguably the club’s best player of all time and a Premier League Hall of Famer
Patrick Viera is another Frenchman who wrote an indelible mark in the club’s history and is regarded as one of the best midfielders to have played in the Premier League.
Laurent Koscielny, William Gallas, Nicolas Anelka, and Emmanuel Petit are other players of French origin who have played for the North London club.
Some French players have represented the club but whose time isn’t fondly remembered, five of which will be mentioned below
1. Yaya Sanogo: The 2013 Golden Boy Award nominee arrived at the club with a huge pedigree, after his breakthrough with Auxerre.
He spent four seasons with the club but couldn’t break into the first team. He was sent out on three different loan terms before his exit in 2017.
He made just 20 appearances and chipped in a goal and two assists.
Sanogo is currently under contract with Chinese side Qingdao Red Lions whom he joined in March 2024.
2. Sébastien Squillaci: The defender joined the Premier League giants in 2010 after successive spells at Monaco, Lyon and Sevilla.
He won’t remember his time at North London with any fondness as he could manage just 39 appearances across three seasons.
Squillaci left for Bastia in 2013 where he spent the rest of his career before calling it quits on his career four years later.
3. Jérémie Aliadière: He was a product of the Clairefontaine Academy which also produced Henry, Anelka, Abou Diaby, Kylian Mbappé and a host of French stars.
Aliadière joined Arsenal as a teenager with the hope that he was going to become a superstar but ended up being another poor signing.
In his six years with the Gunners, the retired striker made just 50 appearances and scored nine goals.
4. Sylvain Wiltord: After winning the Ligue 1 with Bordeaux and scooping the French Footballer of the Year, he joined Arsenal in 2000.
He featured regularly for the club and his solitary goal against Manchester United in the 2001/2002 season handed Arsenal the Premier League title.
Wiltord had a memorable time at North London and while he will be fondly remembered by the older Arsenal fans, the same can’t be said about the younger ones.
He made 174 appearances for the then Arsene Wenger side, notching 45 goals and seven assists and also won two Premier League titles, two FA Cups and one Community Shield as well.
5. Jeff Reine-Adélaïde: He joined Arsenal as a promising player from Ligue 1 outfit Racing Lens but had a disastrous spell with the Premier League giants.
He made his first start against Lyon in the Emirates Cup and earned praises for his performances against the French side.
However, he struggled to break into the first team, making just eight appearances across all competitions before he left the club in 2018.
