Pain in the Arsenal
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Every German to play for Arsenal – ranked

By James Cormack

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 22: Pierre-Emerick Aubamayang of Arsenal celebrates with Mesut Ozil after scoring Arsenal's third goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Leicester City at the Emirates Stadium on October 22, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 22: Pierre-Emerick Aubamayang of Arsenal celebrates with Mesut Ozil after scoring Arsenal's third goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Leicester City at the Emirates Stadium on October 22, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images) /
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Malz played 14 times for Arsenal. (Mandatory Credit: Mike Hewitt /Allsport)
Malz played 14 times for Arsenal. (Mandatory Credit: Mike Hewitt /Allsport) /

7. Stefan Malz

Malz arrived from 1860 Munich for a modest fee and enjoyed a bright enough debut season considering the low expectations. The German scored twice in 11 games, but breaking into Arsenal’s midfield was always going to be an uphill battle.

As a result, after a quiet second season, Malz returned to the Bundesliga and signed for Kaiserslautern.

6. Shkodran Mustafi

For many, Mustafi has come to symbolise the bleakest period of Arsenal’s modern history. The 2014 World Cup winner was signed for a pretty hefty fee in 2016 and immediately cemented himself as a cornerstone of the Gunners’ backline under both Wenger and Unai Emery.

The chaotic German was equally capable of pulling off the majestic as he was the utterly stupid, and the wise Mikel Arteta was quick to ship him off once he took charge in November 2019. Mustafi ended his Arsenal career having made 151 appearances.

Leno succumbed to the Mikel Arteta project. (Photo by James Williamson – AMA/Getty Images)
Leno succumbed to the Mikel Arteta project. (Photo by James Williamson – AMA/Getty Images) /

5. Bernd Leno

While many believed the time was right to move on from the unreliable Mustafi, Leno had done little to suggest an upgrade was needed at goalkeeper. However, the German’s issues in possession rendered him untenable as Arteta’s number one, and Aaron Ramsdale was signed for big money as his replacement.

Nevertheless, Leno was a solid performer in north London for several years before his departure to Fulham in 2022.

Continued on the next slide…

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