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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 13 th  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,...

Player Profile: Lino Sousa By Jack Lacey-Hatton The latest addition to the Arsenal Academy, Lino Sousa will hope to follow in the footsteps of Ashley Cole, Gael  Clichy and Kieran Tierney to become one of the clubs great modern full-backs. The 17-year-old left-back joined last month and although fans may not know much about him at the moment, hopes are high he can become the latest young starlet to make an impact on the first team. Let’s find out just who is Lino Sousa? And what can Arsenal fans expect from the new signing.   Who is he? Sousa was born in 2005 and until his move to Arsenal had spent his youth career at West Brom. He holds both English and Brazilian citizenship courtesy of his family, although he has represented England at most junior levels so far, including under-15 and under-16. His talent was so obvious to those in the West Brom coaching set-up that he spent the last few years playing two years above his age group. Sousa was also part of the Baggies youth si...

Comparing this Arsenal squad with the squad of a decade ago By Jack Lacey-Hatton Mikel Arteta has already rode out some tough moments as Arsenal manager since his appointment in 2019. He still maintains the support of the vast majority of the fanbase and has already overcome a difficult start to the current season, with his team finding form in recent weeks.   However, despite some good summer signings, it is still difficult to gage just how good this group is and whether they are moving in the right direction. Maybe a comparison of the current players with the squad from exactly ten years ago, will give us a clearer picture.   Goalkeepers & Defence New arrivals Aaron Ramsdale, Nuno Tavares and Ben White have settled well at the Emirates since their arrival and the trio have greatly improved both departments. Without these signings it would be difficult to make a case for Arsenal having a strong backline, but all three have made a difference. A decade ago...

Who are Arsenal's greatest late signings? By Peter White It barely seems five minutes since Arsenal rounded off a disappointing 2020/21 campaign with a 2-0 win at home to Brighton in May, but today marks the Gunners' return to Premier League action.  Boss Mikel Arteta will be vying to improve on a miserly eighth-place finish last time out, that saw the 13-time English champions fail to qualify for European competition for the first time since the 1994-95 season.  But a fresh start paves the way for fresh hope, and an away clash at newly-promoted Brentford under the Friday night lights will offer a glimmer of what to expect from the north Londoners in the Spaniard’s second full season in charge.  Arsenal’s cause this year will be aided by the recruitment of new signings Ben White, Albert Sambi Lokonga and Nuno Tavares, but with over two weeks to go until the August 31 transfer window deadline, the Emirates faithful are hopeful of further additions being made.  Earlier...

Omari Hutchinson hype is real: here's why Arsenal's FA Youth Cup success proves the future is bright at Colney By Tom Harle You can't win anything with kids, apart from the FA Youth Cup.  Arsenal last won the FA Youth Cup in 2009 with a team featuring Jack Wilshere and Francis Coquelin and rogue names like Gilles Sunu and Luke Ayling. Not to mention Oğuzhan Özyakup - who didn't even make the team for the final.  They kept their hopes of doing it again alive on Friday night as Ken Gillard's young charges dispatched West Ham 3-1 in the fifth round to tee up a quarter-final clash against Liverpool.  History suggests that Youth Cup successes are an unreliable indicator of a golden generation of youngsters and the stars of a Youth Cup run are hostage to the recruitment policies at boardroom level. So is the impressive run this year a sign of a glorious new era at London Colney, or a flash in the pan for players who won't ever pull on the first-team shirt? A glance lo...

FA Cup finals and 3-2 thrillers: Five great matches between Arsenal and Aston Villa in the Premier League By Adam Le Roux Arsenal travel to Villa Park this Saturday looking to respond from the horror show against Wolves on Tuesday night, slumping to a 2-1 defeat and finishing the game with just nine men on the pitch. You don’t have to go too far back for the last time the Gunners went head to head with Villa, as Dean Smith’s side rampaged their way to a 3-0 win at the Emirates thanks to Bukayo Saka’s own goal and Ollie Watkins’ double. In what has been a largely forgettable season for Arsenal to date, that humbling at home from the Villans was one of the lowest ebbs, as Jack Grealish and Ross Barkley had the Arsenal defence on tenterhooks throughout. But it hasn’t been all doom and gloom for the Gunners against Villa in the past, with many a fine victory coming against the boys in claret and blue in recent history, so let’s take a trip down memory lane to reminisce on five of the all-t...