Ranking The 15 Best African Players to Play for Arsenal – 2024

Africa has produced some of the best talents in world football over the decades. With the advent of the Premier League and the rise in TV broadcasting in the late 90s, coinciding with Arsene’s exciting brand of football, it was natural that a lot of Africans naturally developed an affinity towards Arsenal. Some of the best talents have also represented the club, wore the badge with honour and created some of the best moments in its rich history. Here, we try our best to rank the Best African players to ever play for Arsenal.

Ranking Factors

• Performances – Their performances for the club during their tenure.
• Longevity – How long they have represented the club
• Impact and importance to the squad – How important their role was and how much positive impact they’ve had.

15 Best African Players to play for Arsenal from past to present

Rank	Player	Country
1	Kolo Toure	Ivory Coast
2	Lauren	Cameroon
3	Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang	Gabon
4	Nwankwo Kanu	Nigeria
5	Thomas Partey	Ghana
6	Alex Song	Cameroon
7	Mohamed Elneny	Egypt
8	Alex Iwobi	Nigeria
9	Emmanuel Adebayor	Togo
10	Nicolas Pepe	Ivory Coast
11	Marouane Chamakh	Morocco
12	Emmanuel Eboue	Ivory Coast
13	Gervinho	Ivory Coast
14	Christopher Wreh	Liberia
15	Quincy Owusu-Abeyie	Ghana

15. Quincy Owusu-Abeyie

He came up through Ajax’s youth system and then Arsenal. He was hailed as one of Arsene Wenger’s projects. But unfortunately, he came to England at an early age and it was also at the time when Arsenal already had Reyes, RVP, Henry, AND Bergkamp. This resulted in reduced game time as he could never make the team sheet over them and his development stalled because of it.

Tenure	2004 – 2006
Position	Winger
Signing Fee	free transfer
Appearances	23
Goals	2
Assists	0

14. Christopher Wreh

Wreh faced a lot of hardships in his childhood. He escaped war in his native Liberia as a teenager. Yet, he worked hard and was signed for Arsenal. He was a member of the Arsenal side which won the Premier League and FA Cup double during the 1997–98 season and became the first-ever African to win the Premier League trophy.

Tenure	1997 – 2001
Position	Striker
Signing Fee	unknown
Appearances	46
Goals	5
Assists	2

13. Gervinho

While Gervinho’s popularity was mostly because of his brilliant FIFA card, it is also dismissive to regard him only with it. Gervinho was a great dribbler with a rapid pace. He was the ultimate surprise player, no defense knew what he was going to do. Unfortunately, at times, he was frustrating to watch because of his poor finishing which cost Arsenal a lot.

Tenure	2011 – 2013
Position	Winger
Signing Fee	€12 million
Appearances	63
Goals	11
Assists	13

12. Emmanuel Eboue

Eboue was known for his very fun personality on and off the pitch, which helped in a calmer and relaxed dressing room. He was good going forward, contributing in attacks. Wenger then decided to convert him into a wide forward and his performances deteoriated after that as he never adjusted to the new role.

Tenure	2005 – 2011
Position	Defender
Signing Fee	€2.2 million
Appearances	214
Goals	10
Assists	20

Also Read: Top 10 Best Japanese Players In Premier League History

11. Marouane Chamakh

Chamakh was full of potential and hype during his early days. He had a lot of great attributes but his head never seemed right and involved in the game. His game time was also limited because, like every other striker during his era, he got benched by Robin van Persie. In the limited minutes, he was not able to make an impact like everyone thought he would.

Tenure	2010 – 2013
Position	Striker
Signing Fee	free transfer
Appearances	67
Goals	14
Assists	10

10. Nicolas Pepe

Pepe was the record signing for Arsenal. He was also regarded as a better player than Memphis Depay at Lyon. But, unfortunately, Pepe did not live up to the hype. When he occasionally showed his capability, it was glorious. He had an absolute wand of a left foot and a great hook shot. He wasn’t up to par and his style did not sync with the rest of the team, resulting in loan deals and finally departed on a permanent transfer.

Tenure	2019 – 2023
Position	Winger
Signing Fee	€80 million
Appearances	112
Goals	27
Assists	21

9. Emmanuel Adebayor

Adebayor causes mixed feelings among Arsenal fans. While his performances during the tenure were good with him acting as the perfect foil to the whirlwind midfield of Flamini-Fabregas-Hleb-Rosicky, his actions off the field and after he left the club left them sour. He was great on his day and so enjoyable to watch but he will always be remembered for the celebration when he scored a goal for Manchester City against Arsenal.

@BelliciusRM pic.twitter.com/1cKdBNeKsG

— 🇩🇪🇵🇹 (@wlbertxRM) May 23, 2024

Tenure	2006 – 2009
Position	Striker
Signing Fee	€10 million
Appearances	142
Goals	62
Assists	19

8. Alex Iwobi

Iwobi was a Hale End graduate and a Gunner through and through. He was young in his Arsenal tenure and was an important squad player, filling in at multiple positions and covering for the starting XI. While they lost the Europa League final in 2019, his banger from outside the box will always be remembered and appreciated by the fans. While it was disappointing that he left the club, Arsenal a good fee for him which they used to reinforce other important positions.

🎂🍾 Happy Birthday, @alexiwobi! 🎈🎁 pic.twitter.com/ZXbxmebB3I

— UEFA.com DE (@UEFAcom_de) May 3, 2020

Tenure	2015 – 2019
Position	Winger/Midfielder
Signing Fee	Academy Graduate
Appearances	149
Goals	15
Assists	24

7. Mohamed Elneny

Nicknamed fondly as the “Pyramid Pirlo,” Elneny was an endearing player for Arsenal. He brought endless positivity, and happiness and was genuinely loved by not just the squad but all of the other staff members. He was a reliable depth, happy with his position in the squad, a model professional, never complained, and always gave his best when he played.

Tenure	2016 – 2024
Position	Midfielder
Signing Fee	€12.50 million
Appearances	161
Goals	6
Assists	10

6. Alex Song

Song was an important part of Arsenal’s midfield. He had great passes in his locker, which went mostly towards van Persie. It sometimes felt like they had a telepathic connection. A classic box-to-box midfielder who used to pop up in the opposition box a lot, Song’s best moments of his career were definitely at Arsenal.

Tenure	2005 – 2012
Position	Midfielder
Signing Fee	€4 million
Appearances	204
Goals	10
Assists	23

Also Read: Ranking the Best African Players to Have Played for Manchester United

5. Thomas Partey

Coming from Atletico Madrid with plenty of hype, Partey was one of the early signings of the Mikel Arteta project. Nicknamed “The Octopus,” he has calmness about him that allows him to do things so effortlessly. He bypasses an entire midfield with his skills and he makes them look so ridiculously easy. He has also filled in other positions too, giving the squad much more depth. Partey also have some incredible shots in his locker too, often popping up with crucial goals.

Tenure	2020 – present
Position	Midfielder
Signing Fee	€50 million
Appearances	134
Goals	7
Assists	5

4. Nwankwo Kanu

Nwankwo Kanu was a towering body feint master. Kanu in the 1999/2000 season was unplayable at times, scoring a lot of memorable goals. As the seasons went on, he was mostly deployed as a super sub. His fairy tale hat-trick vs Chelsea is still talked about to this day.

Tenure	1999 – 2004
Position	Striker
Signing Fee	€6.25 million
Appearances	197
Goals	44
Assists	33

3. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Aubameyang is regarded as arguably the best striker after Henry and van Persie in the Premier League era. He won the Golden Boot award despite Arsenal struggling, scored a lot of winners, and was also the captain of the club. His FA Cup heroics during the 2019/20 season were some of his best performances and he was one of the biggest reasons why Arsenal won the cup. His partnership with Lacazette was tremendous too, often linking up really well and producing magical moments.

While he got frozen out in the end because of some squabbles with the coach Mikel Arteta, his overall tenure is looked back with only love.

Tenure	2018 – 2022
Position	Striker
Signing Fee	€63.75 million
Appearances	163
Goals	92
Assists	21

2. Lauren

Lauren is one of the most underrated Arsenal players ever. An absolute fan favourite, the toughness and competitiveness he brought to the table was unmatched. His penalty technique was unmatched and his defensive calibre was sound, often locking up the opposition.

Tenure	2000 – 2007
Position	Defender
Signing Fee	€10.70 million
Appearances	241
Goals	10
Assists	7

1. Kolo Toure

Toure was at the heart of the defense during Arsenal’s golden era under Arsene Wenger. He formed a strong partnership with Sol Campbell during Arsenal’s unbeaten campaign in 2003/24. His consistency continued over the years, as Toure became an irreplaceable player. He also acted as a stand-in captain quite often.

Tenure	2002 – 2009
Position	Defender
Signing Fee	€185 thousand
Appearances	326
Goals	14
Assists	14