RANKING: The influence of 5 German stars who played for Arsenal

Historically, the Gunners have recruited many German players.

Bernd Leno

The German goalkeeper did quite well during his time playing for the Gunners. The only problem with Leno was the handling of the ball, so Mikel Arteta decided to drop him from the plan and replace him with Aaron Ramsdale.

In the summer of 2022, Leno left Emirates to join Fulham, ending a 4-year journey with the North London team.

Lukas Podolski

Known for his powerful left foot, the fans were extremely excited at Podolski’s presence, and he also somewhat lived up to their expectations.

The German striker quickly showed an influence on the Gunners play, but his time there was relatively short. Podolski made just 82 appearances for the club, scoring 31 goals and adding 17 assists.

Per Mertesacker

“Big Per” has taken on the task of revolutionizing the youth system at Hale End and the club has already begun to reap the rewards of his plan. But Mertesacker’s contributions don’t stop there.

As a player, despite his lack of speed, his wisdom, ability to contest the ball well and choose a smart position helped Mertesacker become a fulcrum for the Arsenal defence.

The former German centre-back played a key role in Arsenal’s FA Cup-winning trio. He scored in the 2014 semi-final and 2015 final. Antonio Conte later praised Mertesacker’s “unbelievable attitude” after the German’s stellar performance in the 2017 final against Chelsea.

Mertesacker formed a strong bond with Laurent Koscielny and has been described as an outstanding professional player during his time with Arsenal.

Jens Lehmann

The German goalkeeper has been part of historic moments in an Arsenal shirt. He appeared in every game of the club’s Invincibles campaign, saved a Paul Scholes penalty to win the 2005 FA Cup final, and then set a record for consecutive Champions League clean sheets (10 (10). ) when Arsenal reached the final.

Mesut Ozil

Fans were excited by the arrival of Ozil, after he emerged as one of Europe’s top assists during his time with Real Madrid.

Ozil shined in his first few years at Arsenal, creating some magical moments. The most significant is the solo goal against Ludogorets in 2016.

Ozil was expected to break Thierry Henry’s record of assists in a single Premier League season in 2015/16, but he quickly fell apart as modern football didn’t allow the classic number 10s to come into play. many acting places.

The German star was often caught up in media stories and was left out of place when Mikel Arteta took over the Gunners.