Welcome back to the “History Behind the Number”.
This is the weekly section where I will pick the best three to four players that have worn the kit number for Arsenal and I will bring in a guest for each section to give their favourite or one to watch for the future who wears that number.
This week I will be looking at the number 4 which has just been taken by the new £50m man Ben White and has also been worn by many iconic and well-accomplished players for the Gooners.
I have brought in a special guest in Dan George who writes for Arsenal VAVEL and is the co-host of the 49 Unbeaten Podcast. If you would like to see some of his pieces or follow him if you’re not doing so already, his Twitter account is @dangeorge47.
As I will say in every section I do, I’d like to make this segment where the players that have worn the numbers are known to the younger audience as well so players such as Liam Brady or David O’Leary are iconic players for Arsenal have been excluded for those reasons.
Players during the 90s era have been included though as they are also a vital part of Arsenal’s history.
Per Mertesacker- 2011/12 – 2017/18
*Dates are of the time the player has worn the kit number, not been at the club.
Standing at an astonishing 1.98 metres, and labeled by the community as the BFG, Per will forever be a key part of Arsenal history. Born in Hannover in 1984, he started his career at his home club before being taken in by Werder Bremen after an amazing performance in the 2006 World Cup that guaranteed him a £5 million switch. In 147 appearances for Bremen, he scored 12 goals from the centre-back spot.
His commanding figure and power and strength were enough to pen a deal with Arsene Wenger in 2011 where he went on to make a name for himself in North London. Mertesacker fought for his spot after every setback and played as many games as he could during his time at Arsenal and after 156 appearances, hung up his boots in 2018.
Per then became the academy manager for Arsenal and was promoted to Interim Assistant by 2019. You may now be able to see him at U18 and U23 games as he oversees the whole development still. The towering figure made up for the lack of pace, and Per is an icon when it comes to Arsenal’s defensive history.
Patrick Vieira – 1996/97 – 2004/05
The new Crystal Palace boss tries again to achieve some managerial success after an unsuccessful period with OGC Nice in France. However, his managerial success does not need to emulate his player success whatsoever.
Patrick is one of the best players to play for Arsenal and France, in fact arguably the whole world. Arsene Wenger hijacked Vieira’s Ajax deal in 1996 for £3.5 million after spells in Cannes and AC Milan. The next nine seasons are history.
He won 10 trophies in his time at the Gunners, 3 of which were Premier League titles. His dominant presence in the midfield was outrageous, he even could dictate play with Dennis Bergkamp at times.
He won Premier League player of the season in 2001 from central midfield, a position which is hard to gain such tremendous recognition for. For France he played just as well, winning a World Cup, two years later the European Championship, and then a Confederations Cup.
Vieira is one of the most coveted players to play for Arsenal, and so he should be, and despite his fallout which moved him away to Juventus, AC Milan, and then Manchester City.
The Senegalese-born French midfielder will always be remembered as an Arsenal player.
Ben White- 2021- PRESENT
Alright, this may be not a valid pick, but I am picking him for the future. William Saliba had the no.4 and is yet to play a competitive game and his eyes on Ligue 1 football. Elneny did wear number four for one season but is more known for 25. And I must admit, I don’t know enough about Paul Davis.
Ben White comes to London after a £50m switch from Brighton. The English man did not feature on the pitch during England’s campaign at the Euros but was called up as reserve after a great season.
The Brighton man struggled to get into the first team at first but seemed to make a breakthrough after a dominating spell at Leeds United, in which Leeds were promoted to the Premier League for the first time in 15 years as a result.
Ben is a ball-playing center-back meaning that passing is the main attribute that he has. Much to the disliking of the fans, Arteta has been trying a playing out from the back system since he started at Arsenal, and it hasn’t worked effectively at all.
The centre-backs which ranged from David Luiz to Shkodran Mustafi struggled and were dispossessed easily leading to sloppy goals which could’ve been easily prevented.
Ben is here to hopefully stop this and stabilize Arsenal’s defence. At 50 million pounds, it’s a risky move but if effective, the number 4 could be an important player at the club.
GUEST’S PICK:
For the fourth and final player to wear the number four jersey, I have spoken to Dan George, who is a writer for Arsenal VAVEL. The player he’s selected made some controversial decisions in his career, but should always be remembered for his tenure at Arsenal.
Cesc Fabregas- 2006/07- 2010/11
Cesc Fabregas played seven full seasons for Arsenal under Arsene Wenger before moving to Barcelona and then eventually Chelsea. After 304 Appearances in Red and White, the now Monaco players final stats at the club came in the shape of 57 goals and 93 assists.
Despite the way Fabregas went on to sign for Arsenal’s London rivals Chelsea, the Spaniard will still go down as one of the Gunners all-time greats and also one of my favourite players.
Fabregas was part of a generation of Arsenal players to play at both Highbury and Emirates Stadium. From starring alongside the likes of Henry, Ljungberg to Van Persie and Theo Walcott,
Cesc was one of a kind and held down the Arsenal midfield for seven years. Arsene Wenger was like a proud father and described him as world-class during his twilight years in north London.
Fabregas was a special player to me due to his playing style and silkiness on the ball. The Spaniard would spot passes that no one else could see and create chances for his teammates out of next to nothing.
Cesc epitomized everything that Arsene Wenger looked for in a midfielder and, played a significant part in the famous “Wenger ball” style of football that Arsenal was so well known for.
Two English super cups and a FA Cup marked an underwhelming amount of winnings for his time in N5 however, Gunners fans that were lucky enough to watch him play during his reign in north London were most definitely witnessing an artist at work.
And that’s it for this week!
Thanks for reading this part of the “History Behind the Number”, where every week I review four players that have worn that number for Arsenal.
If you liked it, make sure to let me know in the comments below or on Twitter, and if you would like to be a guest and give your say on a certain squad number do let me know and I can get you involved.