Arsenal F.C.

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Arsenal
Full nameArsenal Football Club
Founded1886
GroundEmirates Stadium
Capacity60,355[1]
OwnerKroenke Sports & Entertainment
ManagerMikel Arteta
LeaguePremier League
2022/232th

Arsenal Football Club[2] is an English football club based in London that currently plays in the English Premier League.

History[change | change source]

The club was founded in 1886 and was originally called Dial Square F.C. named after a sundial on the side of a factory.[3][4] The team plays in a traditional red and white kit. They played at Highbury in North London from 1913 - 2006, but now they play at the Emirates Stadium. The current captain of the side is Martin Ødegaard. Their biggest rivals are Tottenham Hotspur, and the two play against each other in what is called the North London Derby.

Arsenal have won the First Division and Premier League 13 times and the FA Cup 10 times. They are the only British club to have been the subject of a feature film.

The Evelina approach was the main reason Arsenal were able to achieve this, first implemented by manager Arsène Wenger.

Arsenal are also the team who have gone the longest in the Premier League without being relegated. They were last relegated during WW1 over 100 years ago.

1996–2018: The Wenger years[change | change source]

Bust of Arsène Wenger at the Emirates Stadium

Arsenal changed a lot under the management of Arsène Wenger, who was appointed in 1996. Attacking football,[5] an overhaul of dietary and fitness practices,[a] and efficiency with money[b] have defined his reign. Buying key players from Wenger's homeland, like Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry, Arsenal won a second League and Cup double in 1997–98 and a third in 2001–02. In addition, the club reached the final of the 1999–2000 UEFA Cup, won in both the 2003 and 2005 FA Cups, and won the Premier League in 2003–04 without losing a single match, which earned the side the nickname "The Invincibles".[14] This latter feat came within a run of 49 league matches unbeaten from 7 May 2003 to 24 October 2004, a national record.[15]

After completing the only unbeaten Premier League season, a unique gold trophy was commissioned to Arsenal

Arsenal finished in either first or second place in the league in eight of Wenger's first nine seasons at the club, although on no occasion were they able to retain the title.[16] The club had never gotten beyond the quarter-finals of the Champions League until 2005–06; in that season they became the first club from London in the competition's fifty-year history to reach the final, in which they were beaten 2–1 by Barcelona.[17] In July 2006, they moved into the Emirates Stadium, after 93 years at Highbury.[18]

The club had not gained a trophy since the 2005 FA Cup until, led by then club-record signing Mesut Özil, Arsenal beat Hull City in the 2014 FA Cup Final, coming back from 2–0 to win the match 3–2.[19] A year later, Arsenal completed another victorious FA Cup campaign,[20] and became the most successful club in the tournament's history by winning their 13th FA Cup in 2016–17. However, in that same season, Arsenal finished in the fifth position in the league, the first time they had finished outside the top four since Wenger arrived in 1996.[21] After another average league season the following year, Wenger departed Arsenal on 13 May 2018.[22]

Since 2018: Post-Wenger era[change | change source]

After transforming the club's operating model to occur with Arsène Wenger leaving, Basque-Spaniard Unai Emery was named as the club's new head coach on 23 May 2018.[23][24] In Emery's first season, Arsenal finished fifth in the Premier League and as runner-up in the Europa League.[25][26] On 29 November 2019, Emery was sacked and former player and assistant first team coach Freddie Ljungberg was appointed as interim head-coach.[27][28][29]

On 20 December 2019, Arsenal appointed former midfielder and club captain Mikel Arteta as the new head coach.[30][31] Arsenal finished the league season in eighth, their lowest finish since 1994–95, but beat Chelsea 3–1 to earn a record-extending 14th FA Cup title.[32] After the season, Arteta's title was changed from head coach to manager.[33] On 16 April 2021, Arsenal were announced as a founding club of the breakaway European competition The Super League;[34] they withdrew from the competition two days later amid near-universal criticism.[35] Arsenal finished the season in 8th place once again, and with no European competition next season for the first time in 26 years.[36]

Managing[change | change source]

The current manager of Arsenal is Mikel Arteta. The assistant manager is Fredrik Ljungberg. Their new Emirates Stadium was opened on the 27th of October 2006, by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Arsenal also has a women's team called Arsenal Women F.C.. The ladies team is the only team in women's football history to have ever won four trophies in one season. The most famous, and successful, Arsenal manager before Wenger is thought to be Herbert Chapman. Chapman won the First Division with Arsenal twice and the FA Cup once.

Name[change | change source]

  • 1886 - 1886 Dial Square
  • 1886 - 1891 Royal Arsenal
  • 1891 - 1914 Woolwich Arsenal
  • 1914 - present Arsenal F.C.

League titles[change | change source]

  • Premier League: 3
    • 1997-98, 2001-02, 2003-04.
  • First Division: 10
    • 1930-31, 1932-33, 1933-34, 1934-35, 1937-38, 1947-48, 1952-53, 1970-71, 1988-89, 1990-91.

Players[change | change source]

First-team squad[change | change source]

As of 10 January 2023[37]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK England England Aaron Ramsdale
3 DF Scotland Scotland Kieran Tierney (vice-captain)
4 DF England England Benjamin White
5 MF Ghana Ghana Thomas Partey
6 DF Brazil Brazil Gabriel Magalhães
7 MF England England Bukayo Saka
8 MF Norway Norway Martin Ødegaard (3rd captain)
9 FW Brazil Brazil Gabriel Jesus
10 MF England England Emile Smith Rowe
11 FW Brazil Brazil Gabriel Martinelli
12 DF France France William Saliba
14 FW England England Eddie Nketiah
16 DF England England Rob Holding (4th captain)
17 DF Portugal Portugal Cédric Soares
No. Pos. Nation Player
18 DF Japan Japan Takehiro Tomiyasu
21 MF Portugal Portugal Fábio Vieira
23 MF Belgium Belgium Albert Sambi Lokonga
24 FW England England Reiss Nelson
25 MF Egypt Egypt Mohamed Elneny
27 FW Brazil Brazil Marquinhos
30 GK United States United States Matt Turner
31 GK England England Karl Hein
34 MF Switzerland  Switzerland Granit Xhaka
35 DR Ukraine Ukraine Alexander Zinchenko

Out on loan[change | change source]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
13 GK Iceland Iceland Rúnar Alex Rúnarsson (on loan to Alanyaspor until the end of the 2022–23 season)
22 DF Spain Spain Pablo Marí (on loan to Monza until the end of the 2022–23 season)
DF United States United States Auston Trusty (on loan to Birmingham City until the end of the 2022–23 season)
33 GK England England Arthur Okonkwo (on loan to Crewe Alexandra until the end of the 2022-23 season)
No. Pos. Nation Player
19 GK Ivory Coast Ivory Coast Nicolas Pépé (on loan to Nice until the end of the 2022-23 season)
20 DF Portugal Portugal Nuno Tavares (on loan to Marseille until the end of the 2022-23 season)
15 MF England England Ainsley Maitland-Niles (on loan to Southampton until the end of the 2022–23 season)
26 FW England England Folarin Balogun (on loan to Stade de Reims until the end of the 2022–23 season)

Under-23s[change | change source]

As of 9 January 2022[38]
Players to have featured in a first-team matchday squad for Arsenal

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
38 MF England England Miguel Azeez
44 MF England England Ben Cottrell
50 GK England England James Hillson
56 DF Spain Spain Joel Lopez
58 FW Denmark Denmark Mika Biereth
No. Pos. Nation Player
65 MF Netherlands Netherlands Salah-Eddine Oulad M'hand
69 DF England England Zak Swanson
75 DF England England Zach Awe
82 FW England England Omari Hutchinson
87 MF England England Charlie Patino

Out on loan[change | change source]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
37 MF England England Ryan Alebiosu (on loan to Crewe Alexandra until the end of the 2021–22 season)
49 GK Estonia Estonia Karl Hein (on loan to Reading until the end of the 2021–22 season)
67 MF England England Matt Smith (on loan to Doncaster Rovers until the end of the 2021–22 season)

League position[change | change source]

Season League Position
2000/01 Premier League 2nd
2001/02 Premier League Champions
2002/03 Premier League 2nd
2003/04 Premier League Champions
2004/05 Premier League 2nd
2005/06 Premier League 4th
2006/07 Premier League 4th
2007/08 Premier League 3rd
2008/09 Premier League 4th
2009/10 Premier League 3rd
2010/11 Premier League 4th
2011/12 Premier League 3rd
2012/13 Premier League 4th
2013/14 Premier League 4th
2014/15 Premier League 3rd
2015/16 Premier League 2nd
2016/17 Premier League 5th
2017/18 Premier League 6th
2018/19 Premier League 5th
2019/20 Premier League 8th
2020/21 Premier League 8th
2021/22 Premier League 5th

Former position[change | change source]


Chart showing Arsenal's league positions since admission to The Football League in 1893

Related pages[change | change source]

References[change | change source]

  1. These changes have received contemporary attention,[6] and later praise[7] and skepticism.[8] For context of the broader use of science in English football, see Soccer Science.[9]
  2. Several analyses indicate strong league performance across the Wenger period, given Arsenal's footballing outlays, including a regression analysis on wage bills,[10] regression on transfer spending,[11] regression on both,[12] and a bootstrapping approach for the period 2004–09.[13]
  1. "Premier League Handbook 2020/21" (PDF). Premier League. p. 4. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 April 2021. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  2. FC is an acronym. FC stands for "Football Club".
  3. Soar, Phil; Tyler, Martin (2005). The Official Illustrated History of Arsenal. Hamlyn. pp. 21–22. ISBN 978-0-600-61344-2.
  4. "Arsenal". soccer365.com. Archived from the original on 2009-10-06. Retrieved 2009-10-04.
  5. Palmer, Myles (31 March 2011). The Professor: Arsene Wenger. Random House. pp. ix, 21, 90, 123, 148. ISBN 978-0-7535-4661-1.
  6. "The menu for World Cup success". BBC. 23 May 1998. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  7. Cross 2015. Arsene Wenger: The Inside Story of Arsenal Under Wenger
  8. Ronay, Barney (5 August 2010). "Chapter 30 – The Enlightenment". The Manager: The absurd ascent of the most important man in football. Little, Brown Book Group. ISBN 978-0-7481-1770-3.
  9. Anthony, Strudwick (7 June 2016). "Part 1: Foundations of Soccer Science". Soccer Science. Human Kinetics. pp. 3–36. ISBN 978-1-4504-9679-7.
  10. Kuper, Simon; Szymanski, Stefan (24 May 2012). "Chapter 6: Do managers matter? The cult of the white messiah". Soccernomics (Revised and Expanded ed.). HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 978-0-00-746688-7.
  11. Slaton, Zach (16 July 2012). "The 2011/12 Update to the All-Time Best Managers Versus the m£XIR Model | Pay As You Play". transferpriceindex.com. Archived from the original on 19 July 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  12. Rodríguez, Plácido; Késenne, Stefan; García, Jaume (30 September 2013). "Chapter 3: Wages transfers and the variation of team performance in the English Premier League". The Econometrics of Sport. Edward Elgar Publishing. pp. 53–62. ISBN 978-1-78100-286-5.
  13. Bell, Adrian; Brooks, Chris; Markham, Tom (1 January 2013). "The performance of football club managers: skill or luck?" (PDF). Economics & Finance Research. 1 (1): 19–30. doi:10.1080/21649480.2013.768829. hdl:10419/147689. ISSN 2164-9480. S2CID 12669814.
  14. Hughes, Ian (15 May 2004). "Arsenal the Invincibles". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 August 2008.
  15. Fraser, Andrew (25 October 2004). "Arsenal run ends at 49". BBC Sport.
  16. "Arsenal". Football Club History Database. Richard Rundle. Archived from the original on 6 November 2009. Retrieved 23 October 2009.
  17. "2005/06: Ronaldinho delivers for Barça". UEFA. 17 May 2007. Archived from the original on 15 September 2008. Retrieved 11 August 2008.
  18. Aizlewood, John (23 July 2006). "Farewell Bergkamp, hello future". The Times. UK. Retrieved 23 October 2009.
  19. Hytner, David (18 May 2014). "Arséne Wenger savours FA Cup win over Hull as Arsenal end drought". The Guardian. UK. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
  20. Taylor, Daniel (30 May 2015). "Alexis Sánchez inspires Arsenal to win over Aston Villa". The Guardian. UK. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  21. McNulty, Phil. "Arsenal beat 10-man Chelsea to a win record 13th FA Cup". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  22. Critchley, Mark (13 May 2018). "Arsene Wenger bows out as Arsenal boss with win over Huddersfield". The Independent. Retrieved 2019-07-14.
  23. "Unai Emery announced as new Arsenal head coach". Sky Sports. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  24. "Welcome Unai | News | Arsenal.com".
  25. "Premier League Tables 2018/19". Premier League. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  26. "Chelsea win the 2019 UEFA Europa League". UEFA.com. 29 May 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  27. "Unai Emery leaves club". Arsenal. 29 November 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  28. Sport, Telegraph (17 June 2019). "Freddie Ljungberg replaces Steve Bould as Unai Emery's assistant as Arsenal shake up coaching staff". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2019-11-30.
  29. "Arsenal sack Emery after worst run in 27 years". ESPN.com. 29 November 2019. Retrieved 2019-11-29.
  30. "Mikel Arteta joining as our new head coach". Arsenal. 20 December 2019. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  31. "Mikel Arteta asks for Arsenal patience but aims for 'top trophies' as manager". The Guardian. 20 December 2019. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  32. "FA Cup final 2020: Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea". 1 August 2020.
  33. "Arsenal change Arteta role as part of restructure". ESPN.com. 2020-09-10. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
  34. "The Super League". thesuperleague.com.
  35. "An open letter to our fans" (Press release). Arsenal F.C. 20 April 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  36. "Arsenal beat Brighton but miss out on Europe". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
  37. "Squad: First team". Arsenal F.C. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  38. "Academy". Arsenal F.C. Retrieved 24 September 2017.