Arsenal's five most underrated players since The Invincibles


Nacho Monreal


Arsenal's five most underrated players since The Invincibles

By James Reid

It has been almost 20 years since the famous invincibles team swept everything before them to claim Arsenal’s 13th and most recent league title. 


It was an iconic team packed full of some of the very best to wear an Arsenal shirt. 


Since then, we have seen a wide range of players don the famous red and white, from some of the very best all the way to the very worst.   


We took a look at some of those players who flew under the radar and didn’t get as much love as they should have done during their time in North London. 



Alexander Hleb 



Anyone that moves on from the Emirates to Barcelona is surely a top player, but Hleb was an underrated figure on the wing during his time at the Gunners. 


The Belarussian arrived from Stuttgart in 2005 and became a key member of the side that reached the 2006 Champions League final in Paris. 


Hard-working and technically gifted, Hleb continued to play a key role throughout 2007 and 2008 before a summer transfer to the Camp Nou. 



Mathieu Flamini 



The Frenchman made over 200 appearances in two spells for the Gunners, but it still feels like the all-action midfielder was not truly appreciated. 


Flamini may never have been the star in Arsenal’s engine room when playing alongside the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Jack Wilshere, but you would always get a committed and full-blooded performance. 


The former Marseille and Milan midfielder was often played out of position, too, becoming a utility player at times, but this only serves to underline Flamini’s value to the Gunners in both spells, despite not always grabbing the headlines. 



Mikel Arteta 



While we may be more familiar with Arteta in the dugout at the Emirates, he was a silky midfielder not too long ago either.


Arteta arrived at the club in 2011 after a nightmare start to the season, including the 8-2 defeat to Manchester United, but established himself as a key cog in Arsene Wenger’s midfield machine. 


The Spaniard was certainly another that rarely grabbed the headlines, but was quietly effective with his strong technical ability and leadership skills, becoming club captain in 2014. 



Per Mertesacker 



Another arrival in that 2011 window was Per Mertesacker, who established himself as a first-choice centre-back. 


The big German had a slightly unorthodox style which perhaps led to him being underappreciated by some but there is no doubting his class at the back for Arsenal. 


Mertesacker played over 200 times in all competitions for Arsenal, becoming club captain in 2016 before coaching with the academy.  



Nacho Monreal 



Monreal arrived as a relatively low-key signing from Malaga in 2013, but quickly became first choice at left-back. 


Solid and unassuming, Monreal was not the all-out attacking full-backs we often see today, but there can be no questions over his defensive ability as well as being able to contribute to the attack. 


The Spaniard represented his country 22 times, no mean feat during such a rich era for the 2010 World Cup champions, and returned to his homeland with Real Sociedad in 2019 having nailed down Arsenal’s left flank for six years. 


Photo Credit: Getty Images

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