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3 best Arsenal midfielders of the Emirates era
- Arsenal moved into the Emirates in 2006
- Soft underbelly in midfield plagued end of Arsene Wenger's reign
- Gunners have had some wonderful midfield maestros
Back in July, Arsenal smashed their record transfer fee when they signed Declan Rice from West Ham. Rice has quickly cemented himself as a fan favourite and has slotted into his midfield role at the club with ease. It is obviously very early on in his Arsenal career but if he carries on this way, he looks on course to become one of the greatest midfielders of the Emirates era.
Players such as Patrick Vieira, David Rocastle and Gilberto Silva are just some of the great midfielders to wear the famous shirt. But in recent times, the Arsenal midfield has often been looked at as a weak point. The Gunners had been accused of losing their edge and were too often getting bullied in the middle of the park.
Granit Xhaka, Declan Rice and Thomas Partey, to name a few, have helped to ease these concerns throughout Mikel Arteta’s rebuild and we finally seem to be back on the right path.
But who are the greatest Arsenal midfielders since the 2006/07 season when the Gunners moved to the Emirates Stadium?
1. Cesc Fabregas
Cesc Fabregas joined the club in 2003 at the age of 16 and made his club debut just one month later. At the time, this made him the youngest-ever first-team player - a record which is now held by Ethan Nwaneri. Despite starting his Arsenal career before the Gunners moved to the Emirates, it was at our new home where Fabregas played his best football.
The Spaniard possessed eye-watering technique and vision, earning himself 111 goal involvements in 212 Premier League games at Arsenal. This included the 2009/10 season where he registered 15 goals and 15 assists.
While at Arsenal, Fabregas won the 2008 PFA Young Player of the Year, the 2008 Euros and the 2010 World Cup. Fabregas was made club captain in 2008 and held that post until he departed for Barcelona in 2011.
With his exit, Fabregas left behind an incredible legacy as one of the greatest Premier League midfielders of all time and the best Arsenal midfielder of the Emirates era (even if he joined Chelsea a few years later).
Continued on the next slide...