Every Arsenal player to wear the #9 shirt since 2000 – ranked

5. Davor Suker

Suker succeeded Nicolas Anelka as Arsenal’s number nine in 1999, a year after he’d won the Golden Shoe at the World Cup with Croatia, who finished third.

The Croatian superstar joined the Gunners following a prosperous three-year spell with Real Madrid, whom Anelka joined at his expense.

The then-31-year-old enjoyed just a solitary season at Highbury and he was by no means disastrous. Suker played an admirable supporting role to the likes of Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp, ending the 1999/00 campaign with eight goals in 22 league appearances.

The brilliance of his superiors, however, meant the ageing Croatian was never going to have a serious impact.

4. Eduardo

What could’ve been for Eduardo da Silva at Arsenal, eh?

The club’s fetish for signing Brazilians began long before Edu Gaspar made it fashionable, and Eduardo had forged quite the reputation following a prolific spell at Dinamo Zagreb.

The Brazilian-born Croatian international had just started to come into his own at the Emirates before his career – and Arsenal’s 2007/08 title challenge – took a turn for the worst when Birmingham City’s Martin Taylor broke Eduardo’s leg and dislocated his ankle with what was one of the worst challenges and infamous moments in Premier League history.

Eduardo would enjoy a fairytale return to action a year later but he was no longer the protagonist that Wenger signed him to be. The striker flashed his talent post-injury, but the arrival of Marouane Chamakh in 2010 signalled the end of his tumultuous spell with the club.

Continued on the next slide…