Arsenal has been the home to several world-class players over the years.
The Gunners are one of the biggest clubs in the world. We’ve seen several superstars don the famous red and white, and there will be many more in the coming seasons as well.
Thierry Henry is the greatest player to ever play for Arsenal. The legendary Frenchman was absolutely unbelievable during his time, and nobody has even come close to beating him.
However, Martin Keown has now named a player who could’ve had a bigger legacy than Henry.
Martin Keown says Nicolas Anelka would’ve ‘definitely’ eclipsed Thierry Henry at Arsenal
Nicolas Anelka’s Arsenal career was shortlived.
The Frenchman joined the Gunners as a 17-year-old in 1997 and he only stayed for two years. However, in that short period, he amazed everyone.
In 1999, Anelka decided that he wanted out of Arsenal. He joined Real Madrid, helping the Gunners make a huge profit through his sale. Arsene Wenger signed the striker for just £500,000 and ended up making £22.3 million (Sky Sports).
Ahead of Arsenal’s game against Manchester City – both are Anelka’s former clubs – Gunners legend Keown was asked if the Frenchman could’ve ‘eclipsed’ Henry’s achievements had he stayed at Arsenal.
Keown said on talkSPORT: “Definitely! Without a doubt. Whatever it was that Henry achieved, and they were big things, he was an incredible striker, Anelka had that gift as well, that pace.
“He just wanted to go on a different journey. He wasn’t really that patient. I think his family around him wanted to fast-track his career. He ended up at Real Madrid, at Chelsea, at Liverpool – I was really surprised when Liverpool let him go.
“I was almost relieved to see the back of him out of the Premier League because for anyone who’s played against him, he was an incredible talent, so naturally gifted.
“But I think he probably could have stayed at Arsenal. It would have been lovely to have seen them both together. What a sight that would have been.”
Keown further claimed that Anelka was ‘misunderstood’ at Arsenal because he was just 17 when he arrived and struggled to pick up the language as quickly as the other foreign players.
Anelka’s career stats compared to Henry shows his wasted potential
When Anelka first came to Arsenal, nobody had seen anything like him.
The former France international made experienced world-class defenders look average time and time again – even when he was a teenager.
Rio Ferdinand believes Anelka was even better than Henry at the time.
However, Anelka finished his career with 209 goals and 93 assists having played for 12 different clubs including teams in China and India.
Henry, on the other hand, scored 360 goals and 167 assists while playing for five clubs – only one of those was outside Europe.
Anelka could’ve been on Henry’s level or even better, but for one reason or another, he failed to fulfil his potential.
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