Arsenal and its magicians: Gone are the days when the Emirates used to produce wunderkinder and legends who would go onto take the world by storm with a brand of display that most of the others will simply imagine in their wildest dreams.
Despite countless personnel changes at the helm of affairs and a few inside the ranks, the Gunners are still to kiss their lost glory and now languish in the mid-table cards. If there was one thing that was particularly beautiful about Arsenal in the Premier League was the way they created the game.
Scoring has always been a classic benchmark for the strikers, but for the ones who formulate the beauty, it is about how many assists they can string together to plunder the spoils of war from their opposition.
In this story, we will take a look at the top ten assist providers for Arsenal in their glittering antiquity of the Premier League.
#10 Fredrik Ljungberg
The Swedish midfield general was roped in by Arsenal in 1998 for a price of £3 million. Despite being stellar in spasmodic bursts, his effusive brilliance was articulated in its entire magnificence in the latter half of the 2001-02 season. He played a crucial role in shaping the fortunes of the Gunners during his residence at the Emirates, which also featured 29 assists alongside his 46 goals.
#9 Santi Cazorla
Despite spending 6 long years at Arsenal, this Spanish striker couldn’t really flap his wings continuously due to an overwhelming string of injuries that plagued this midfielder’s career. He was also threatened by the menace of a career-threatening injury, from which he managed to come back and pervade the ground with the exotic brand of football that he was known for playing. He managed to hammer 25 goals for the Gunners and also square off 34 opportunities.
#8 Robert Pires
The attacking French midfielder was an industrious part of Arsenal’s outrageous exploits in the early years of the 21st century. He arrived at the Emirates in 200 from Marseille for £6 million and left everyone awestruck with his magic on the field. The season of 2001-02 was a burning testimony to the artistic brilliance of Pires while it was his selfless diligence in 2003-04 that went a long way to help Arsenal claim the title of the Invincibles. He smashed 62 strikes for Arsenal, while he stitched together 38 assists.
#7 Theo Walcott
Walcott was a little dynamite who terrorized the rearguards of oppositions for a staggering 12 seasons at Arsenal. The English striker was effusively brilliant up ahead, and his selfless football created countless opportunities for other players to make a salient mark on the game. From the 270 matches that he played for Arsenal, he hammered 65 strikes, while he also strung together 42 assists.
#6 Robin Van Persie
Despite not being able to find his prolific goal-scoring boot for the Gunners in the first few seasons, he proved his worth with a string of extra-terrestrial showdowns in the last couple of seasons for the Gunners that saw him hammering 40 plus goals. The Dutch starred in 194 matches for the Gunners over a glamorous span of 8 years and successfully scored 96 goals throughout his span for Arsenal. He was also a crucial game-maker that saw him pumping in 48 assists.
#5 Aaron Ramsey
The Welsh midfielder who is currently a part of the Old Lady spent a significant amount of time for Arsenal. He had his highs and lows that defined his never-giving-up mentality. Despite being consigned to a couple of mid and low-table clubs for a couple of seasons on loan, he still managed to validate his worth and make an emphatic return to the ranks. He played 262 matches for Arsenal that saw him hammering 40 strikes and swinging in 48 assists.
#4 Dennis Bergkamp
The Dutch maestro who made a commentator lose his mind with a goal that was forged in the heavens with an insane first touch and an even more insane finish, Dennis Bergkamp set the Emirates on fire with his brilliance. He finished his career at Arsenal with an appearance of more than 11 years that saw him staring in 315 games, scoring 87 goals and belting out 49 assists.
#3 Mesut Ozil
The German midfielder, whose international career ended on an extremely bitter note due to the acrimonious vitriol of a few Germans who were oblivious of the term “respect”, became the best ever creator that Arsenal could have seen. He could create magic out of thin air that saw him drawing comparisons with actual talismans. He managed to play 184 matches for Arsenal before moving onto Fenerbahce that saw him striking a wholesome 33 times. He also smashed 55 assists for Arsenal.
#2 Cesc Fabregas
This Spaniard defined the midfield for any team that he played. He was an artistic genius and could send those impeccable through balls for the surging attackers to hammer home. Not only did he had an eye for those long through balls but his ability to forge magic in the center is what made him an extraordinary pick for the Gunners. He played 212 matches for Arsenal and scored 35 goals. More importantly, he stitched 71 brilliant assists.
#1 Thierry Henry
If we say that Henry was the undisputed king of the Gunners, we won’t be too wrong. The French virtuoso redefined the face of football at the Emirates. He played for Arsenal for 8 years, earning 254 caps that also saw him striking 174 times. The exemplary command that he held in the attacking line was way too hot for the defenders to handle. He is also the leading creator of chances in the list of the Arsenal players with a whopping 80 assists.
