Arsenal have been lucky enough throughout the years to have had some amazing African players at the club, many have been successful and many have not had much success in their time at the Emirates or Highbury. This list will profile the top five African Arsenal players in terms of quality and how successful each player was during their time at the club.
5) Emmanuel Adebayor:
Adebayor is a name that may now be tainted, however at Arsenal he was adored by fans with one of his best moments being his brace against Tottenham. Ending the 2007/2008 season as top scorer with 30 goals in all competitions, drawing the eyes of many top European clubs, it would be Manchester City with their new owner who would purchase Adebayor for a fee of £25 million.
He was labelled as a traitor by fans and this move would only cause more controversy during the season with his infamous celebration against his former club, running the whole length of the pitch to purposely taunt the away fans. Arsenal definitely saw his best days and nobody can argue his skill and physical prowess.
4) Alex Song:
A young prospect brought into the club in 2006 after a loan spell for £1 million, this originally unknown player went on to make 138 league appearances for the North London outfit. His versatility would be useful for the Gunners, a natural central midfielder who also played centre-back for a time in the 2007/2008 season, but it would be the next season, 08/09, in which he made his breakthrough, where he established himself in the Arsenal squad while playing alongside Cesc Fabregas. The midfield duo was the first choice for years to come, however by 2012 both had moved on to Barcelona.
Song possessed great talent, obviously shown by the move, however this may not have worked out just as he would have liked and he is now likely to make a move back to London, this time to West Ham United.
3) Kolo Toure:
Originally brought into the club for a fee of £150,000, Kolo Toure would go on to form arguably one of the best centre-back partnerships in Premier League history with Sol Campbell, a key part of the "Invincibles" team of 03/04. By 2006 Kolo had established himself as a fan favourite and his partnership with Philippe Senderos was formidable, this pair helped Arsenal to the 2006 UEFA Champions League final with a record 10 clean sheets.
Toure became vice-captain in his time at the club, however after seven years at Arsenal he decided to leave after a reported dispute with William Gallas. The second player on this list to move to Manchester City, the fee was reportedly £14 million and Kolo went on to spend six more years in the Premier League. Perhaps not seen as one of the greats, but still a superb player and part of the Invincibles team that will be remembered by any Arsenal fan. Toure made 326 appearances for Arsenal, scoring 14 goals in that time.
2) Lauren:
A player who possibly does not get the recognition he deserves, Lauren came into the club for £7.2 million pounds in the summer of 2000. Lauren's first season was ridden with injuries, however it took him only two games to score his first goal for the club. By the next season he had replaced the legendary Lee Dixon as first-choice right-back in the double winning campaign of 2001/2002.
Lauren's biggest achievement at the club was of course, the Invincibles campaign alongside the aforementioned Kolo Toure in defence. Lauren spent two more full seasons at the club before being allowed to leave by Arsene Wenger in January 2007. After a brilliant six years at the club his service was valued enormously, which is shown by the player being allowed to leave when he wanted to.
Winning two Premier League trophies, three FA Cups and two Community Shield titles, Lauren ended his Arsenal career with one trophy for every season he spent with Arsenal. Lauren played 242 games and scored 11 goals for the Gunners.
1) Kanu:
Nwankwo Kanu was an established talent in European football but, after winning the Champions League with Ajax, Kanu had a woeful move to Inter Milan. This was not helped by the fact he was suffering from a serious heart defect and had to have an aortic valve replaced leaving him out for a whole season, in which he scored only once within twelve games.
A previous African Footballer of the Year winner and current Nigerian captain, Arsenal would be the club to purchase the player and what a transfer it would be. His debut was a game against Sheffield United in the FA Cup, featuring a quirky moment in English football when Kanu impeded what was known as an unwritten rule by intercepting a kick the goalkeeper made to allow a player to be treated for injury. Arsenal scored from the move and English media outlets were furious, but Wenger had always defended Kanu claiming that he didn't know of the "rule".
Kanu revitalised his career quickly at Arsenal, winning the African Player of the Year trophy for a second time in 1999 for his brilliant form at Highbury. Kanu was a towering presence standing at 6'5" and with brilliant footwork, uncommon for such a tall player. He was a true fan favourite, his celebration alone was famous.
Kanu ended his career with 44 goals in 197 games - a goal to game ratio of 0.22 which sounds rather disappointing, especially when compared to number Emmanuel Adebayor's ratio of 0.44 goals per game is exactly double. Both were similar in stature but what made Kanu so special? Kanu's close control was something that has not been replicated by many, and with his height this asset would allow him to confuse any defender in his path.
Kanu's goals may seem quite few in number, however so many are legendary, his hat-trick against Chelsea helped Arsenal to complete a mesmerising comeback. Moments like these gave Kanu such an affinity with the fans that, in 2008, he was voted 13th in Arsenal's greatest 50 players poll.