The curse of the 9 Jersey

   9 is the number

Every club has a shirt number which fans and players alike identify with and arsenal is no exception. No shirt number is bigger than the 14 made famous by Club Legend Thierry Henry ,now won by Peirre-Emerick-Aubameyang who I might add is doing it justice.

This isn't always the case....especially when it comes to the number 9.It is a shirt number that was made famous by Charlie Nicolas,George Graham ,Paul Merson and more recent memory Nicolas Anelka. Since then Arsenal fans don't have such fond memories of players wearing the 9 . Despite the famous strikers that have worn  arsenal colours not many have lit up our hearts wearing the 9. I count down my top 5 players to not do justice to the 9 during the previous decade.

5.CHU YOUNG PARK (11/12)

This was one of those strange Arsene Wenger signings joining the club in 2011 from Monaco.What is so hilarious about his signing is that Chu was actually completing a  medical at Lille when he heard of Arsenal's interest in him.He immediately left and was soon unveiled as an Arsenal players to the shock of many arsenal fans given the fact that Monaco had been relegated from league 1.

Chu young Park never quite made the most of Arsene's bargain .He made just 1 appearance  in 3 yrs with a loan spell at Celta Vigo .He was reassigned the number 30 after Lucas Podolski's arrival in the summer of  2012. He was later released in 2014.

4.EDUARDO DA SILVA (07-10)

This is another case of unfulfilled potential due to a  potentially career ending injury.Most people might argue that he deserves some slack which is true.

 Eduardo joined arsenal in the summer of 2007 in a 7.5£m deal from Dinamo Zagreb. His impact was really encouraging as he was leading Arsenal's pursuit of the premier league.  Unfortunately in February 2008 Eduardo suffered a leg injury which would see him miss a year out due to injury. As is the norm (mainly at arsenal players who have had such long spells out due to injury don't return as they were prior) Eduardo couldn't rediscover his earlier form .He eventually left the club in the summer of 2010 for 6£m to join Shaktar Donetsk.He made 41 appearances scoring 8 goals.

3.LUCAS PEREZ (16-17)

Lucas joined Arsenal for 17.1£m after a successful  14-15 campaign in La Liga scoring 17 goals for Deportivo. As much as he wasn't the star signing arsenal fans longed for he was still a decent signing and expectations at the Emirates were high.

Various pundits even labelled him as the bargain of the transfer window due to his scoring prowess the previous campaign.His debut too only raised expectations as he assisted Laurent Koscienly vs Southampton.Despite the positive start Lucas didn't Live up to the expectations. He put in some decent display especially in Europe where he scored a hatrick vs Basel in the Champions league in 2016. Pressure at Arsenal is great especially when the fans call for big money signings .Lucas eventually didn't get enough playing time and rejoined Deportivo on loan before switching to West Ham . Lucas Perez scored just 1 premier league goal in 11 appearances.

2.LUCAS PODOLSKI (12-15)

This will surely be a controversial inclusion given how fondly arsenal fans remember him. Given his pedigree when he joined much was expected of him.He had a three year stint at Bavarian giants Bayern Munich not mentioning he was a mainstay in the German national team so don't blame me for expecting fireworks from him.

Poldi joined arsenal  in the summer of August 2012 after persistent rumours throughout the January window. He made his debut as a sub for fellow summer signing Olivier Giroud vs Sunderland. His first goal was in a 2-0 win against Liverpool in September. Podolski's time at arsenal was a frustrating one for both player and the fans.His game time was limited and despite lifting the World cup in 2014 he couldn't cement his place in the Arsenal team.He made 60 appearances scoring 19 goals. He will mostly be remembered due to his lethal left foot .He generated so much power with his shots .....a goalkeepers nightmare. Podolski was also part of the 2014 Arsenal team that broke a ten year wait for a trophy .He didn't want to leave the club but he sought regular gametime.Podolski eventually left on loan to Inter .He is currently at Antalyspor in Turkey .....probably will be joined by Ozil in Turkey.

1.ALEXANDRE LACAZETTE 

I will most likely get a lashing from arsenal fans for this .Given he is still currently at the club and  jury is not yet out for him.He still has 2 years left on his current deal so it may seem rather harsh to judge him so soon.  But at the moment his tenure  has been a mixed one for me.

Alex Laca joined Arsenal in the summer of 2017 for then a club record fee of 53£m.A hefty price but given his previous goal scoring prowess at Lyon it seemed a fair price.Arsenal fans had craved a big money striker and finally they had him..... but has he lit up the Emirates?? Lacazette had scored 100goals in 203 appearances for Lyon prolific by all standards.He scored on his debut in a 4-3 win over Leicester in 2017 .He was also arsenal player of the year 2018/19  season.He is the main guy at arsenal in big matches but has dropped drastically in the current season.Given now Arteta prefers Academy graduate Eddie Nketiah it just shows how much he's dropped . In the current campaign he has scored 10 goals and provided 4 assists in 30 matches not impressive at all.Forgive me but for 53£m I expect much more. Interesting summer ahead for him but if this proves to be his last season at arsenal he hasn't brought acclaim to the 9 jersey .... Just like the rest in this piece.

The number 9 at arsenal is proving to be a bogey Jersey that star signings should avoid. That is unless Lacazette can do something about it with 2years left .I crave for a player that will make this Jersey at cherished as the 14 or  the 10 . Also a plea to any star we may sign in the future .....KEEP OFF THE 9 .

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Good momentum in the Arsenal team after back to back wins.We should win comfortably against Norwich today but a tough July awaits us .