I’ve been thinking about this a fair bit recently, and hopefully it sparks some good discussion. We’re a club with a long history, and a diverse fan base, and it’s always interesting to see how people respond to questions like this:

Who are your favourite, and least favourite players? More specifically I’m interested in:

  1. Your favourite player in the current squad?

  2. Your favourite player ever?

  3. Your “what could have been” player - someone you were hopeful about when we signed them, but never quite lived up to the hype?

  4. Your least favourite? Maybe someone who seemed to make it in the lineup no matter what when you could see what everyone couldn’t - they were shit.

  • Mansuke@lemm.eeEnglish
    61·
    1 year ago

    1. Gotta be our Starboy, very closely followed by Smith-Rowe, hoping to see him on the pitch a bit more soon

    2. Probably Ljungberg, dyed my hair with the red streak and everything when I was in school! Haha

    3. Julio Baptista loan maybe? I remember being super excited about that one and it not quite working out but I could be wrong

    4. I think it was a pretty common sentiment at the time but I used to hate seeing Pascal Cygan on the team sheet around the invincibles era

    • hangonasecond@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      41·
      1 year ago

      Wow, I love the Ljungberg commitment!! Smith-Rowe probably would’ve ended up my favourite current player if not for the injury. I’m with you, I hope he is back to lighting it up for us again soon.

  • OlPatchy2Eyes@lemmy.worldEnglish
    5·
    1 year ago

    1. Odegaard. I love the commander players, and the way he orchestrates pressed and attacks with pointing fingers every which way is very cool to watch. It’s hard not to say Saka though and part of me thinks I’m just saying Odegaard because the other comment already took Saka.

    2. Gotta be Arteta. I was excited when he joined and he was great for us, but obviously his contribution as a manager makes me appreciate him all the more. I started supporting Arsenal because I admired Wenger, and when he left my support waned a bit. But then Arteta returned from the enemy camp with a bag full of stolen Guardiola tactics and restored what had been lost. I’m a sucker for the story.

    3. Carl Jenkinson. Not sure that he had “hype,” I just really wanted him to do well given that his personality and backstory as a fan. Diaby and Wilshere get a shout too, and are probably better answers to the question.

    4. I think it’s Ozil. Shout-out to Pepe. Maybe there’s something I’m missing, but I can’t stand players that won’t train while on contract when they could take a pay cut and go elsewhere.

      • OlPatchy2Eyes@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        1 year ago

        I knew there was another example I was forgetting!

        Mind-boggling that they get paid so much, and when they underperform and lose their spot not only do they stop working but they also have the gall to complain like they don’t have the option to go elsewhere.

  • Astrealix@lemmy.worldMEnglish
    4·
    1 year ago

    Saka gotta be favourite in the current squad though Declan Rice is realllly challenging that. Henry is something else though. Wilshere is the what coulda been obviously and least favourite is probably the snakes…

  • coygsu@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    1 year ago
    1. Saka and Emile Smith Rowe (like my kids I can’t choose my favorite).
    2. Thierry Henry
    3. Gedion Zelalam, even though he was a youth transfer.
    4. Emmanuel Adebayor, his recent comments just made it worse.
  • ThePowerOfGeek@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2·
    1 year ago

    1. Odegaard, but there are so many others who are right up there. Sasha for example is a very close second. Right now we are spoiled for talented great guys in our squad.

    2. Bergkamp. But special mentions on this go out to King Henry and to Kenny Sansom.

    3. Eduardo da Silva, but through no fault of his own. He had so much talent and potential, and was really staying to show his abilities. But it was all wiped out by that horrible injury. He seems like such a great guy and worked so hard too.

    4. The are several, for different reasons. But probably Silvestre is the top of my list. He was consistently shite for us and it was perplexing why we even signed him, let alone why he kept starting. And a special mention that will be an incredibly unpopular opinion here: Robin van Persie. I found him really really frustrating because he’d show flashes of pure brilliance and then get injured and be out for months on end. Not really his fault I know. But his attitude always seemed a bit off to me. I can’t explain why. But I wasn’t totally surprised when he decided to be a total shit-heel and fuck off to Yanaited after he had managed to put in his first season with us where he was injury-free. Other special mentions are Nasri, Adebayor, Mustafi, and Eddie McGoldrick.