In many ways, the 2010s were an awkward period for Arsenal. During the 2000s under Arsene Wenger, the Gunners were, at one point, the most dominant force in English football. They were literally “Invincible” at their peak and would later push Barcelona to their limit in a Champions League Final.
And most recently, Arsenal have pushed Manchester City, the champions of Europe, to their limit as legitimate Premier League title contenders with a fresh squad under Mikel Arteta’s direction.
However, in between, there was a time when it looked like Arsenal would struggle to get back to the point of being a perennial force in the Champions League – let alone return to the summit of English football. For as much as he received criticism, Wenger was the stability point for Arsenal in those dark times, but he had a few reliable role players and even fewer true superstars to help the Gunners weather the storm.
Let’s look back at the 10 best Arsenal players of the 2010s.
10. Alexandre Lacazette, ST
One of the hottest young stars in world football while at Lyon, Alexandre Lacazette scored a stunning 76 goals in his final 3 seasons with the French club before joining Arsenal as a 53 million euro transfer ahead of the 2017/18 season.
Lacazette never quite reached the heights he did at Lyon, and some may even consider the French striker a bit of a disappointment, as he never scored 15 goals in a league season for the Gunners. But he was also more of a playmaker and changed his role in order to accommodate an even more prolific striker in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as his partner.
The Aubameyang and Lacazette duo were important to Arsenal in the back half of the 2010s, with Lacazette doing most of the dirty work. He was only able to win the FA Cup once as his trophy with the Gunners, but he was a pretty consistent and solid striker despite only ever truly looking like a superstar for Lyon – including as a veteran after leaving London behind.
9. Robin van Persie, ST
Robin van Persie only spent two years at the very beginning of the decade with Arsenal before chasing gold with Manchester United in a baffling move that stunned Arsenal supporters. He even concocted some bunk about dreaming of playing for United as a child, even though there is photographic evidence of that clearly not being the case.
Even though the end to RVP’s Arsenal tenure was a bitter one, the club actually did sell him at the right time, because he only had one more sensational season for the Red Devils. At the end of his Arsenal tenure, RVP was at his most clinical, blossoming into one of the elite strikers in European football. He actually never scored 12 goals for the club until the 2010/11 season when he had 18, and then he exploded for 30 in his final season in North London.
More of an all-around striker, Van Persie had four straight seasons with at least seven assists before exiting to Manchester. Van Persie didn’t steady the ship for Arsenal during the 2010s, but his peak was so good that he deserves a shout on this list, even if some people still strongly dislike him to this day.
8. Olivier Giroud, ST
Although Olivier Giroud was the subject of heated debates regarding his quality to be the unquestioned No. 9 for a side still dreaming of the Premier League title, he did forge a pretty nifty career for himself in North London. Giroud may have fonder memories from Arsenal supporters because of the sheer quality of the goals he scored or took part in, as the Gunners were world-famous for their jaw-dropping team goals – even in a period in which they were far from elite as a team. And individually, Giroud’s Scorpion goal is legitimately one of the best in Premier League history.
Again, a lot can be said about Giroud when, at the time, Arsenal fans were dreaming of Luis Suárez and Edinson Cavani, but he ended up being significantly better than the majority of strikers who fetched high fees from Premier League teams around that time. The former Montpellier star was consistent in North London, scoring double-digit goals in every season until his departure to rivals Chelsea.
Giroud, funnily enough, actually never won a Premier League title, even though he literally won a league championship the season before joining English football (with Montpellier in one of the greatest stories told) and then the season after in another all-time great story to mark AC Milan’s return to prominence.
It’s no coincidence that Giroud was a key part of those two title triumphs, and it is also no coincidence that Giroud helped Arsenal finish in the top four in all but one of his five seasons with the team. A classy, all-around No. 9, Giroud wasn’t a superstar, but he was a useful player who helped the Gunners remain a regular in the Champions League.
7. Nacho Monreal, LB
Perhaps the most underrated player on this list, Nacho Monreal recently retired but is clearly not forgotten by the Arsenal (or Málaga) fans who remember his tenaciousness during this critical period in the club’s history. Nacho was a defensive monster at the left back position, and there’s a case to be made that he is one the shortlist of the best defensive fullbacks of the modern era. And with his technical quality, he was no slouch in the attack either due to his ability to play out accurate passes.
Nacho regularly averaged more than two tackles and two interceptions per game in the Premier League at his peak, including 3.1 interceptions per match in the 2014/15 season. He was like having an extra center back with the way he contributed to the build-up play, read games, and dogged attacking defenders in one-on-ones.
One of the heart-and-soul players for Arsenal, the Spanish international could even step up with a goal or two when needed, as evidenced by his literal handful of league goals in the 2017/18 season. Arsenal fans are forever grateful to his professionalism and class, as well as the three FA Cup titles he contributed to.
6. Aaron Ramsey, CM
A fiery, box-to-box midfielder, Aaron Ramsey didn’t have the skills of Jack Wilshere, but he had the consistency. Ramsey had better fortune with injuries, and when he was feeling it, he had the quality to take over an entire game and put together a truly stunning performance. Some of Ramsey’s goals and assists in the 2010s are among the finest of the decade, and you sometimes wonder if he left a little bit of potential on the table during his time with the club.
Ramsey never quite found that magic after moving to Juventus, and the Welshman will always be synonymous with Arsenal. He gave his all to the Gunners on both sides of the ball, reaching double-digit goal contributions four times in the 2010s while spending the majority of the decade in London. Ramsey’s best season was in 2013/14 when he had 10 goals and 8 assists at the age of 22.
5. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, ST
Maybe Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s real dream was to move to Real Madrid, but he had to have known that this road was sealed close by Karim Benzema. Even Robert Lewandowski couldn’t squirm his way to the Bernabéu. Yet Aubameyang decided to force his way out of Borussia Dortmund, where he was beloved and writing an impressive legacy alongside playmaker Marco Reus (the Robin to his Batman), and ended up being unveiled as the potential next great striker for Arsenal.
No, Arsenal isn’t Real Madrid, but it’s a damn prestigious place to end up, even if, at the time, it was arguable if they were an upgrade over Dortmund sporting-wise. Certainly, Arsenal was a bigger media destination for Aubameyang, and the young forward soaked up the spotlight as the electrifying goal-scorer next to a suddenly more industrious Alexandre Lacazette.
Auba scored 25 and 31 goals, respectively, in his final two seasons with Dortmund, so he arrived with high expectations. And with 22 goals in his first two seasons in North London, he was very much fulfilling them. You couldn’t take your eyes off Aubameyang. This was a player who could invent chances from nothing and put them away, bringing that same explosive playing style from the Bundesliga to the Premier League.
Later in his career with Arsenal, Auba shifted more to the wing and was still effective, but he was clearly declining with his ridiculous speed waning. Aubameyang wasn’t a bad player, but after clashing with Mikel Arteta and not quite wanting to do the things he was being asked to do (probably because he didn’t have the legs for it), he was jettisoned to Barcelona where he experienced only fleeting success.
Perhaps Aubameyang could have accomplished more as a 60 million euro transfer from Dortmund, but he was still one of the best attacking players. in the Premier League at that time.
4. Laurent Koscielny, CB
Another great defender who may be overlooked when judging Arsenal in the 2010s, Lauren Koscielny was pretty much a constant throughout the decade. His longevity is impressive in its own right, but Koscielny was also legitimately one of the best center backs in English football during this time.
Decent on the ball, Koscielny was one of the best man-markers in the Premiership and a stabilizing presence for a side that did have several question marks defensively despite the efforts of himself and hard-nosed left back Nacho Monreal. At times, Arsenal were great on the defensive end, and, in other seasons, they were sketchy. It really depended on who played next to Koscielny, who, himself, was a massive upgrade on the players the club had post-Sol Campbell and Co.
Kos was remarkably brilliant in the 2014/15 and 2015/16 seasons, averaging at least 3.5 interceptions per match in both campaigns. That is astounding. Koscielny was rarely dribbled past and only had to make tackles infrequently, because he was so sharp off the ball. As his athleticism waned, Koscielny had to change his game, but he was still highly effective. Honestly, he deserves more credit as a center back on an all-time scale and should be one of the most appreciated Arsenal defenders ever. A lot of young fans these days have forgotten how important he was to Arsenal.
3. Santi Cazorla, CM
The top three is where we begin to discuss the most iconic Arsenal players. Even though Arsenal were not a top side in the Premier League during the 2010s, these three players were legitimate superstars, with Santi Cazorla perhaps being the most present and consistent of them during the decade.
Cazorla was already a top player at Villarreal, but at a club with more global supporters in Arsenal, Cazorla started to receive major plaudits and regularly feature on highlight reels around the world. The experienced midfielder was irresistible with the quality of his touches, his ability to get out of pressure, and the progression he provided Arsenal.
One of the best dribblers in the world at the time, Cazorla also had elite end product for a midfielder. To wit, he scored 12 goals with 11 assists in his first season in North London; there are supposed top strikers for Arsenal who never had a goal contributory output that impressive. Cazorla even had 1.9 tackles and 1.8 interceptions per game that season.
That’s the thing about Cazorla. He could put away goals, create chances with the best playmakers in the country, and weave his way through any defense. Yet he was also willing to work for the team defensively, with his active ball-winning starting attacks that he was capable of finishing off himself. Cazorla was one of the best midfielders in the Premier League of the decade, yet, looking back, it feels like he still doesn’t get that same adulation.
2. Mesut Özil, AM
Maybe Cazorla was more consistent, but Mesut Özil was different gravy at his peak. The man who had an unfathomable 30 assists as Cristiano Ronaldo’s main provider in Madrid joined Arsenal as one of the most exciting transfers in the history of the club. And had he not joined Arsenal, you wonder where they would have been commercially and sporting-wise as a club.
Özil was at the peak of his powers in the first half of the 2010s for Real Madrid and Arsenal, and it’s arguable that his finest league campaign came in the Premier League with the Gunners in 2015/16. The German international provided 19 assists for his side, averaging an almost unthinkable 4.2 key passes per game. Fans around the world were doing their best to replicate his signature moves, such as catching a wad of gum on his shoe in pre-game warm-ups or, more usefully, his dinked assists in which he almost seemed to drive the ball into the ground.
Arsenal have always prided themselves on exciting, inventive football, and Özil’s playmaking creativity was a throwback to the 2000s era when they were Invincible. Though Arsenal were far from that level in the 2010s, they did look like an untouchable side at moments, even in the Champions League, and a lot of that good came through the magical left foot of Mesut.
Özil’s time with Arsenal also ended in a sad manner, as the modern game had little use for a slow, aging, one-dimensional playmaker. He and Mikel Arteta were obviously never going to get along. But even at the end, there were those rare glimpses of Özil magic that kept the fans wondering. They will probably never see a player like Özil again.
1. Alexis Sánchez, LW
As fantastic as Özil and Cazorla were in the midfield, it is hard to argue against Alexis Sánchez as the best Arsenal player of the 2010s. It isn’t close when you take into account the fact that in every single season, Alexis was an elite performer. He was so good that he was the one guy in the Premier League who could legitimately challenge Chelsea’s Eden Hazard as the best player in the top flight, and, at one point, he was playing at a higher level than the Belgian legend.
Sánchez arrived at Arsenal as a well-known player. He was excellent for Udinese despite being unknown to the average football fans, and then he was excellent for a team everyone knew in Barcelona. Sánchez got to break out of his shell as the star forward for Arsenal, having been one of many star forwards – and obviously not even close to the main star – in Barcelona.
The Chilean legend had at least 15 goal contributions in his first three seasons with the Gunners, including 24 goals and 10 assists in the 2016/17 season when he was legitimately the best player in the league. A winger scoring 24 goals in the Premier League was, at the time, almost unthinkable, because Mohamed Salah had yet to arrive.
Sánchez had a couple of decent seasons between Inter Milan and Marseille later in his career, but after Arsenal frustratingly traded him to Manchester United in the middle of the 2017/18 season, he was never the same again. Alexis fizzled out at United, like so many elite wingers before him. And Henrik Mkhitaryan, the star traded to Arsenal, didn’t fare out much better, though his post-Premier League career with Inter has gone even better. It’s safe to say that trade is one of the worst all-around deals in Premier League history.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He covered Real Madrid from 2019-2022 for The Real Champs as a site manager. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.