The 6 players who have played for Arsenal and Bournemouth

The paths of Arsenal and Bournemouth have hardly been inextricably linked.

The two clubs are bereft of similarities, with their respective histories contrasting in success. While Arsenal are regarded as one of the world's grandest sporting institutions, Bournemouth are entrenched in humility.

The Cherries first arrived in the top flight in 2015 and had faced Arsenal just once (a 3-0 defeat in the 1987/88 League Cup) before their maiden Premier League bow. The Gunners have dominated the head-to-head duel, winning 13 of the 16 meetings and losing just once.

There's no rivalry to speak of between the two Southern clubs, but there is at least a bit of linkage on the personnel front. Let's take a look at the six players who have represented both Arsenal and Bournemouth ahead of Saturday's duel at the Vitality.

Vince Bartram

Bartram spent a chunk of his playing career with the Cherries, making 132 league appearances with the South Coasters in the second and third divisions.

His steady form with Bournemouth convinced Arsenal to make a move in 1994, pre-Arsene Wenger, and Bartram would serve as David Seaman's understudy in north London.

The Gunners spent a meagre £400,000 to sign the goalkeeper, who made just 11 league appearances for the club during his four-year stint. He moved to Gillingham in 1998, spending six years with the Gills before retiring in 2004 due to a wrist injury.

Christopher Wreh

Wreh's time in France had made it clear he was no George Weah, his Liberian strike partner, but he was a player familiar to Arsene Wenger when the Frenchman brought him to north London in 1997.

Wreh never locked down a regular starting berth at Highbury given the quality Arsenal boasted in forward areas at the time, but the Liberian international emerged as a handy squad player for the Gunners, who claimed the Double in Wreh's debut season.

He popped up on the occasional big moment for Wenger's successful side, but the forward made less than 30 Premier League appearances during his three-year stay. The additions of Thierry Henry and Davor Suker thrust him further down the pecking order, and indifferent loan spells overseas convinced the club to part ways in 2000.

Wreh's career then drifted into the abyss, pitching up across the globe in a bid to find some rhythm. However, fitness woes limited the remainder of his professional career, and he never made a league appearance for Bournemouth after briefly joining the club in 2001.

Ryan Garry

Ryan Garry: invincible.

Perhaps the least familiar 2003/04 star played just one Premier League game for the Gunners having trawled through the club's academy system. The defender's Arsenal career was dogged by shin splints and various other injury setbacks, eventually departing the club in 2006.

Without a club following his release, Bournemouth offered Garry a lease of life and he broke into the first team following a successful trial. He had some success down on the South Coast, but the defender was cruelly forced to retire at the age of 27 due to a rare nerve-related problem in his lower leg.

Garry immediately turned to coaching, and the former Gunner has since earned multiple roles with the England youth set-ups.

Jack Wilshere

It's really hard to wax lyrical over Wilshere Arsenal's career. What could've been, eh?

As we all know, the majestic teen who had the world at his feet was ground down by injuries, but a loan move to Bournemouth in 2016 helped reignite his career. Wilshere returned to north London and enjoyed a fine 2017/18 campaign but he left the club following the expiry of his contract.

West Ham came calling in the aftermath before he returned to Bournemouth in 2021. He joined on a short-term deal while the Cherries were in the second tier and was released at the end of the 2020/21 campaign.

Aaron Ramsdale

There were widespread chuckles when the Gunners spent £30m to bring the Englishman to the club off the back of a season in which he was relegated with Bournemouth.

While Rambo worked his way though Sheffield United's academy, it was with the Cherries whom the goalkeeper earned his big break. He spent three years down on the South Coast, but enjoyed just one year as the club's number one.

Ramsdale then went on to play a key role in Arsenal's evolution under Mikel Arteta as he quickly usurped Bernd Leno, but the England international got a taste of his own medicine when David Raya joined the club in 2023 and emerged as Arteta's go-to man between the sticks.

Neto

Ramsdale had to depart for the sake of his career in the summer, but he didn't earn a move until late on in the window. Southampton came calling which forced Arsenal to act.

The Gunners turned to experienced pro Neto, who'd enjoyed a decent spell at Bournemouth having spent much of his career in Spain with Valencia and Barcelona. The veteran shot-stopper is yet to start between the sticks in north London, and he's ineligible to play this weekend given that he joined from the Cherries on loan.

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