Arsenal has been a home to many legends throughout the years, but in this series of posts we will be taking a look at the five players in each Premier League club that have the most goals for their respective club.
5. Ted Drake (139 goals in 184 games)
Drake was one of the Arsenal greats that managed to win two league titles in 1934/35 and 1937/38, as well as win the FA Cup in 1935/36. The prolific goalscorer spent 11 years at Arsenal, after he joined them from Southampton, where he had a remarkable goalscoring tally as well.
Drake had joined Arsenal for the groundbreaking fee of £6,500 in 1934, and he had been registered too late to be qualified for a league medal in 1933/34. Ted Drake is tied with Jimmy Brain in terms of goals, but Brain scored the 139 goals in 232 games instead.
4. John Radford (149 goals in 481 games)
An Arsenal academy graduate, Radford spent 12 years at Arsenal during which he won one league title and an FA Cup double in 1970/71, as well as the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1969/70.
Radford, who played as a striker and as a right winger, unfortunately spent his time at the club when Arsenal struggled to win many trophies.
Radford still holds the record for being Arsenal's youngest ever hat-trick scorer, having a hat-trick against Wolves on 2 January 1965 to his name, when he was just 17 years and 315 days old.
3. Cliff Bastin (178 goals in 396 games)
Bastin is still to this day one of Arsenal's most successful players in history, with the left-winger winning five league titles, two FA Cups and five FA Charity Shields. Bastin was signed from Exeter City at the age of just 17 in 1929, when he was spotted by Arsenal manager Herbert Chapman in a match against Watford.
Bastin was famed for his calmness in front of goal, so much so that he became Arsenal's regular penalty-taker. At the time, Arsenal's play depended more on wingers rather than on the central forward, which helped Bastin get the incredible goalscoring record that he has at the club over the 18 years he spent there.
2. Ian Wright (185 goals in 288 games)
Ian Wright joined Arsenal during his prime, joining from Crystal Palace in 1991 for a club record fee of £2.5 million, after he had scored 118 goals in 277 games for the Eagles.
Wright went on to have a very successful spell at the Gunners, and over just seven seasons, he managed to score 185 goals in 288 games. He managed to break the 30-goal barrier four times in all competitions, and in 1993/34, he scored 35 goals in 53 games.
When it came to titles, Wright managed to bag a Premier League title and an FA Cup in his final and most unsuccessful season with the club in 1997/98. where he scored just 11 goals in 28 games, as well as picking up another FA Cup and a Football League Cup in 1992/93. Wright also helped Arsenal win the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1993/34.
To this day, Wright is still seen as one of Arsenal's best ever forwards, as despite his relatively short stature, standing at just 5 feet 9 inches, he was a fighter on the pitch, determined to help the club get through tough times.
1. Thierry Henry (228 goals in 377 games)
Who else should be top of this list other than the legendary Thierry Henry?
Joining from Juventus in 1999 for £11 million after an unsuccessful spell in Italy, the Frenchman managed to earn the reputation of not only being an Arsenal great, but also a Premier League legend, being part of the famous 'Invincibles'.
Henry broke record after record, and in that famous season in 2003/04, he managed to score 39 goals in 51 games in all competitions, and he scored 30 of Arsenal's 73 league goals that season.
Henry's elegant nature in front of goal was amazing to watch, not being afraid to pull of tricks and still go on to score. His goalscoring touch paved the way for one of Arsenal's most successful periods in their history, winning two Premier League titles, two FA Cups, two Community Shields, and being runner-ups in the UEFA Champions League in 2005/06.
He won four Premier League Golden Boots, as well as being the leagues top assist provided in 2002/03, and was runner-up for the Ballon d'Or in 2003. To this day, he is still the fastest Arsenal player to score 50 Premier League goals, doing so in just 83 appearances.
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