Every German to play for Arsenal – ranked

4. Lukas Podolski

Okay, Leno was solid, but we’re getting into the good stuff now. Coming in at number four is Podolski, who immediately endeared himself to the Arsenal fanbase and cemented cult hero status in north London.

Revered for his rocket of a left foot, supporters were excited by the forward’s arrival, and he certainly didn’t disappoint even if he wasn’t overly productive.

Podolski quickly fell in love with the club, and that adoration was undoubtedly reciprocated by the Emirates faithful. However, his time with the Gunners was relatively brief and he made just 82 appearances for the club, scoring 31 times and adding 17 assists.

3. Per Mertesacker

Big Per has taken on the task of revolutionising Hale End and the club are already starting to reap the rewards from the German’s uniform model. As a player, Mertesacker lacked pace but his astuteness, aerial dominance, and positional sense more than made up for it.

The German defender battled injuries during the formative stages of his time at the club, but he blossomed into a reliable option for Wenger and played a crucial role in Arsenal’s trio of FA Cup triumphs while he was at the club – scoring in the 2014 semi-final and the 2015 final. Antonio Conte then lauded Mertesacker’s “unbelievable attitude” after the German produced an excellent performance in the 2017 final against the Italian’s Chelsea.

The towering centre-back formed a stout partnership with Laurent Koscielny and was described as the consummate professional during his playing days at the club. Nobody has ever said a bad word about Per since he joined the club in 2011.

Continued on the next slide…