Sadly, that was his only season in the famous red and white shirt, with the Swede joining Fiorentina in the summer of 1995. Had he stayed longer in London, Schwarz may well have been higher on this list. He returned to the Premier League in 1999 and spent the final four years of his career at Sunderland. His contract at Sunderland featured one of the most bizarre clauses in football history.
John Jensen
Denmark
Jensen arrived at Highbury in the summer of 1992, having scored for Denmark in the final of the European Championships in their surprise 2-0 win over Germany. You'd forgive any Arsenal supporters who watched him score that fabulous goal in the final for expecting more of the same in London.
However, Jensen would have to wait two years and 98 games before he scored his only goal for Arsenal. It came on New Year's Eve in 1994 in a 3-1 defeat at home to Queens Park Rangers. His lack of goals became a bit of a running joke among fans and those present for his lone strike saw it as an 'I was there' moment, with shirts being sold outside Highbury after he finally scored.
Aside from his long goal drought, Jensen featured for Arsenal in the 1993 FA Cup success over Sheffield Wednesday. He also had an impressive 1993-94 season until he was injured on international duty for Denmark, forcing him to miss the European Cup Winners' Cup final against Parma in 1994. He missed out in the final of the same competition the following season when caretaker boss Stewart Houston didn't select him for the final against Real Zaragoza. The following year, Jensen returned to his former club Brondby after four years in north London.
Nicklas Bendtner
Denmark
Nicolas Bendtner celebrates scoring for Arsenal.
Photo courtesy of Reuters.
After an impressive loan spell at Birmingham City in 2006-07, Bendtner agreed a new deal at Arsenal and the promising teenager was given his chance in north London. His league debut came in a 2-1 win over Fulham in August 2007, but it was later that year that people began to take notice of him. In December, Bendtner scored the winner against Tottenham Hotspur, just seconds after coming on as a substitute - to secure a crucial win and local bragging rights.
The Danish striker was paired with the likes of Robin van Persie and Emmanuel Adebayor during his time at the club. He famously clashed with Adebayor in a League Cup semi-final against Tottenham in 2008, when they were both playing for Arsenal.
Although Bendtner had his fair share of good moments at Arsenal, such as a Champions League hat-trick against Porto in 2010, the striker had issues off the pitch as well. He was pictured coming out of a nightclub with his jeans pulled down after Arsenal's Champions League semi-final defeat to Manchester United in 2009. Later that year, he crashed his Aston Martin on the way to training.
Eventually, even Arsene Wenger's patience with him wore thin. He was sent out on loan to Sunderland in 2011-12 and then Juventus the following season. He stayed at Arsenal for the final year of his contract in 2013-14, and he scored important goals in the league against Hull City and Cardiff.
Anders Limpar
Sweden
Limpar made the perfect start to life in England, helping Arsenal to win the league title in 1990-91. His creativity from the wing and goals that season played a big part in the club's success, as Arsenal lost once in the league all season. He was involved in the brawl against Manchester United at Old Trafford in 1990 and scored the only goal of the game. The following season was best remembered for his stunning lob against Liverpool at Highbury from around 40 yards out.
He didn't feature in the League Cup and FA Cup finals in 1993 and with his contract due to expire in the summer of 1994, he was sold to Everton in March of that year. Limpar was reportedly an Evertonian growing up, despite living in Sweden. He went on to enjoy success with the Toffees, as they lifted the FA Cup in 1995. The final club he played for in England was Birmingham City, who he had a brief spell with in 1997Odegaard has been in the spotlight for most of his career, having signed for Real Madrid at the age of 16 in 2015. He was sent on a series of loans to clubs during his stay in Madrid, including Heerenveen, Vitesse Arnhem, and Real Sociedad. His final loan move came in January 2021, when Arsenal signed him for the remainder of the 2020-21 season.
Odegaard did enough during his loan spell to convince the Gunners to spend around £30m on him in the summer of 2021. Since then, he and Arsenal have gone from strength to strength. He was appointed captain a year after his move to London, and the Gunners have been the closest challengers to Manchester City in both seasons since.
The Norwegian has led by example in many ways - creating many chances for the team, scoring goals and working tirelessly in and out of possession. With Odegaard a core piece of the Arsenal midfield, at the age of 25, he looks to have a long and bright future ahead in north London.
Freddie Ljungberg
Sweden
Freddie Ljungberg after the 2005 FA Cup final.
Photo courtesy of Reuters.
Ljungberg's performance for Sweden against England in a European Championships qualifier in 1998 was so good that it convinced Arsene Wenger to sign the player. A goal on his debut against Manchester United showed everyone what he was capable of, and his immaculate timing of runs into the box so often put him in the right positions to score goals. With players such as Dennis Bergkamp and Robert Pires able to pick out the perfect pass, Ljungberg scored big goals for the Gunners.
He scored in the FA Cup final defeat to Liverpool in 2001, before repeating the trick a year later, as Arsenal won the 2002 final against Chelsea. His goals towards the end of the 2001-02 campaign were crucial, with Ljungberg netting six times in the final eight league games as Arsenal won the double.
He played a major part in Arsenal's success over the years, scoring the winning goal in the 2003 FA Cup semi-final against Sheffield United. He was a key member of the Invincibles team in 2004, as well as the 2005 FA Cup-winning team. Ljungberg moved to West Ham United in 2007, but his best days were spent with Arsenal. After returning as a coach at the club, he took over as interim manager when Unai Emery was sacked in 2019. His only win as manager was a 3-1 win against his former team West Ham in December 2019, with Mikel Arteta taking over later that month.
Ljungberg at Arsenal
Appearances
328
Goals
72
Assists
40
Honours
6 - Premier League x2 (2002, 2004), FA Cup x3 (2002, 2003 and 2005), Charity Shield x1 (1999)
Win Percentage (Premier League)
55.56%
Goals Per Match at Arsenal (Premier League)
0.21
Statistics via Transfermarkt and Premier League - accurate up until 19/9/2024.
Erling Haaland celebrating a hat-trick for Manchester City
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