senal Football: Ranking every player to wear No.5 for Arsenal Football Club in the Premier League

 

Thomas Partey is the latest player to give Arsenal‘s No.5 shirt but how have the other officials of the shirt fared in the Premier League era? Just seven players have tatty the jersey since the English top-flight presented official squad numbers in the 1993-94 season, and the results are pretty mixed. We’ve ranked every player to attire the No.5 shirt for Arsenal football club in the Premier League era from worst to best.

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1. Martin Keown 

Keown inherited the No.5 shirt from Bould in 1999 and certainly had a lot to live up to, but he didn’t let the pressure affect his performances. The defender wore the shirt with significant distinction, winning a second Premier League and FA Cup double with the club in 2001-02. 

He then played a marginal role in his final season at Arsenal, making 10 league arrivals as they went unbeaten in 2003-04. His biggest influence a good one, admittedly was his goad of Ruud van Nistelrooy in the Battle of Old Trafford.

2. Steve Bould 

Contempt joining Arsenal in 1988, Bould had to wait till the start of the 1995-96 season before officially receiving his hands on their No.5 shirt. The center-back was part of the club’s famous back-four alongside the likes of Lee Dixon, Nigel Winterburn, and Tony Adams, helping strike fear into rivals.

He became a skilled and important figure in Arsenal’s 1997-98 double success, making 34 arrivals in all competitions for Arsene Wenger’s side. Bould saw out his playing career at Sunderland in 1999-00 earlier joining Arsenal’s coaching staff, where he sustained to work until being sacked in 2021.

3. Kolo Toure 

Having recognized himself as one of the best protectors in the Premier League, Toure was handed Arsenal’s No.5 shirt ahead of 2006-07 season. He then formed a brilliant distrustful partnership with William Gallas and more highly continued to delight fans with his hilarious antics on and off the pitch.

The center-back continued as a key player for the Gunners until a furious bust-up with Gallas fueled his leaving in the summer of 2009. For more to know about Arsenal vs Liverpool Tickets click here.

4. Thomas Vermaelen 

Vermaelen merged Arsenal from Ajax in 2009 and enjoyed a bright debut season, scoring seven Premier League goals and making a place in the PFA Team of the Year.

Nonetheless, he never played more than the 45 matches he achieved in that first season, with a series of injury problems limiting him to just 150 matches in five years at the club. The Belgium international was still given the captaincy afterward, Robin van Persie’s sale to Manchester United in 2012, only to then reject a new agreement and join Barcelona two years later. 

5. Andy Linighan 

After counting the extra-time winner in the 1993 FA Cup final against Sheffield Wednesday, Linighan developed the first Arsenal player to be officially allocated the No.5 shirt. The center-back was overdue by the likes of Tony Adams, Steve Bould, and Martin Keown in the striking order but still made 41 Premier League arrivals over the following two seasons.

He swapped to the No.12 shirt ahead of the 1995-96 season before finishing a permanent move to Crystal Palace in January 1997. Upon departure, Linighan became the proprietor of a plumbing company. We can’t quite see Party next in his footsteps with this one.

6. Sokratis 

Signed from Borussia Dortmund for £17.6million in 2018, Sokratis was supposed to fix Arsenal’s infirmities with his old-school approach to the defensive. The center-back was solid if not huge for Unai Emery but his limits on the ball saw him fall out of favor under Mikel Arteta.

After being excepted from their Premier League and Europa League squads at the start of the 2020-21 season, he had his agreement was canceled by joint consent and joined Olympiacos in January 2021.

7. Gabriel Paulista 

Not to be wrong with Arsenal’s current Gabriel, Paulista consumed two and a half years at the Emirates and is best recalled for being terrified by Diego Costa. He also took his passion and violence a bit too far, averaging a yellow or red card every 329.5 minutes in the Premier League. No wonder he was branded a “hot head” by Arsene Wenger. 

The center-back writhed to dislodge the Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker company and was subsequently sold at a small loss to Valencia in 2017.

“In the Premier League, I tried to prove my worth but I didn’t get the odds,” Paulista told The Independent in 2019. “When I occupy yourself, it was often because of an injury to my teammates. I deserved more chances. I was sad because I knew I could play but other people didn’t think so.”

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