There is a recent but rich history of French players turning out for Arsenal. From Vieira to Saliba, find out more here
Arsene Wenger became Arsenal’s first French manager 30 years ago and immediately returned to his homeland to snap up playing talent with the likes of Patrick Vieira and Gilles Grimandi among the first recruits.
Now, three decades later, plenty of French stars have graced first Highbury and latterly the Emirates Stadium with almost 20 of them going on to make over 100 appearances for the club.
See how many of them you can remember.
Arsenal’s French players with 200-plus appearances
Let’s look at the French players who have made over 200 appearances for Arsenal.
Patrick Vieira – 405 apps
Among the first wave of Frenchmen to arrive at Arsenal was a man who would go on to carve his name in the club’s folklore, Patrick Vieira.
Vieira was just 20 when he left AC Milan for Arsenal, three months before Arsene Wenger was appointed manager, although he admitted later he only signed because he knew his compatriot was on his way.
Tall, elegant, combative, Vieira controlled the Arsenal midfield for almost a decade, making 405 appearances and captaining the famous Invincibles, the Gunners’ side who won the 2003/04 Premier League without losing a single game.
Thierry Henry – 377 apps
Not far behind with 377 appearances was the wonderful Thierry Henry, a man who would score 228 goals for Arsenal, 175 of them in the Premier League, boasting a scoring ratio better than any ex-player in the competition’s history.
Incredibly, there were doubters who questioned whether Henry was worth £11m – that’s right, £11m – back in 1999.
Four major club trophies later alongside four Premier League Golden Boots suggest it was money more than well spent.
Laurent Koscielny – 353 apps
The only other Frenchman with more than 300 appearances for Arsenal was centre-back Laurent Koscielny, who pulled on the jersey 353 times over nine seasons.
Twelve months before signing, Koscielny had been playing in France’s Ligue 2 with Tours, the start of a real rags-to-riches story which culminated in this accomplished defender winning the FA Cup three times with the London giants.
He even found the net in the 3-2 final win over Hull in 2014, before heading back to France five years later to wind down his career with Bordeaux.
Bacary Sagna – 284 apps
The player Auxerre fans had dubbed Mr Reliable was every bit as dependable during seven seasons at Arsenal.
Full-back Bacary Sagna – the best right-back in England, according to Wenger – made 284 appearances, finally winning a piece of silverware in the 284th and final one, the 2014 FA Cup final success over Hull, which prompted a tearful farewell from the club.
Robert Pires – 284 apps
For grace, elegance and dazzling skills, Wenger hit the trifecta when he got Robert Pires to sign on the dotted line in July 2000.
Wenger fended off interest from Real Madrid and Juventus to sign Pires as Marc Overmars’ replacement and after taking his time to settle in North London, the French flier quickly became a firm fans’ favourite.
He scored 84 goals in 284 matches for the Gunners and scored in eight different fixtures against Tottenham, something that was always going to win the adoration of the fans.
Gael Clichy – 264 apps
Left-back Gael Clichy hadn’t even turned 18 when Wenger took a punt on him in July 2003 after a single, fitful season at Cannes.
He was initially signed as an understudy to Ashley Cole – though he still picked up a title-winning medal in 2003/04 aged just 18 years and 10 months – eventually nailing down the left-back spot in 2006/07.
Clichy won one league title with Arsenal, for whom he appeared 264 times, plus two more with Manchester City.
Olivier Giroud – 253 apps
Olivier Giroud was already a seasoned international striker by the time he signed for Arsenal, with whom he would help win three FA Cups, scoring the final goal in the 4-0 demolition of Aston Villa to lift the second of those three trophies in 2015.
The immaculately-coiffured forward scored 105 goals in 253 appearances for the Gunners before crossing the capital to join Chelsea, who he also helped win the FA Cup.
Mathieu Flamini – 246 apps
Tenacious midfielder Mathieu Flamini enjoyed two stints with Arsenal and while never managing to shower himself in the glory achieved by some of his fellow countrymen, he still enjoyed a distinguished career at the club.
Flamini made 246 appearances either side of a four-year spell at AC Milan and like the finest French wines aged well, producing far better performances second time around in North London.
Alexandre Lacazette – 206 apps
The big ticket signing of Wenger’s final summer transfer window in 2017 was Alexandre Lacazette, who joined for a then club record £45m.
A prolific goal-getter for Lyon and France, Wenger and the Gunners’ faithful expected a big impact from this aggressive, pacy forward and scoring 94 seconds into his Premier League debut – against Leicester – was certainly a statement start.
Lacazette as voted the club’s Player of the Season in 2018/19 and headed back to Lyon in 2022 after scoring 71 goals in 206 games.
Arsenal’s French players with 100-plus appearances
That’s the Arsenal 200 Club, the nine French players past and present who have played for the Gunners on at least 200 occasions.
But what about the next in line, the Frenchmen who have made 100-plus appearances for the club.
There are eight of those with William Saliba (168 apps) on course to join the 200+ Club.
Abou Diaby – 180 apps
Abou Diaby was a midfielder who won plenty of comparisons with compatriot Patrick Vieira, but nowhere near as many plaudits in nine injury-hit seasons.
Sylvain Wiltord – 174 apps
A proven goalscorer who helped himself to 49 goals in just four seasons at the club, winning two league titles.
Gilles Grimandi – 169 apps
A real utility man and one of Wenger’s first signings from France. He would go on to scout for the London club back in his homeland.
William Saliba – 168 apps
Gabriel’s partner at the back of an Arsenal defence which hopes to help the club land its first league title in over two decades.
Francis Coquelin – 160 apps
Defensive midfielder and two-time FA Cup winner who took a while to establish himself at the club.
William Gallas – 142 apps
Never fully won over the Arsenal fans in four years at the club – and moving to Tottenham in 2010 was the final straw for many.
Samir Nasri – 125 apps
Never quite lived up to his early-career billing as the next Zinedine Zidane during three solid campaigns at The Emirates.
Emmanuel Petit – 118 apps
A Double winner alongside fellow Frenchman Vieira during the first of three excellent seasons at the club before joining Barcelona.
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