The Curse of the Arsenal Number Nine

The Curse of the Arsenal Number Nine
For seasons, the Arsenal number 9 shirt seems to have been inhibited by a jinx that refrains the occupier from scaling the heights of their potential. From a fractious Frenchman to a crocked Croatian, the ability of these supposed goal-poachers has appeared to be somewhat restricted since the days of Gunners legend Alan Smith.

When Dennis Bergkamp arrived at the club from Internazionale in 1995, Paul Merson was allocated the number 9 jersey to accommodate the wishes of the Dutchman. Consequently, the player known affectionately by the fans as ‘Merse’, suffered a dip in form as well an off-field quandary with alcohol, drug, and gambling addiction. After Arsene Wenger’s first season in charge, the Frenchman made an unanticipated move and sold the Harlesden born midfielder to Division One outfit Middlesbrough.

Subsequently Wenger dipped into the transfer market, unearthing one of his many rough diamonds that fabricated into an integral part of his maiden double winning side.

Enter Nicolas Anelka, a £500,000 signing for Paris Saint-Germain – Arsenal’s new number nine.

The talented youngster from Versailles snatched his opportunities during the 1997/98 season when injury struck record goalscorer Ian Wright, simulatenously becoming a fans favourite – until the affliction of the ill-fated squad number struck again.

The breakneck strikers’ failure to land an improved contract after claiming the PFA Young Player of The Year award in 1999 was reflected in his performances on the pitch, and fans cited his perceived lack of enthusiasm for the game as sufficient accumen to turn on him. Eventually, the club bowed to the wishes of ‘Le Sulk’, and he was offloaded to Real Madrid for the tidy return of £22.3million.

The conclusion to this high-profile and long-winded transfer saga paved the way for Croatian star Davor Suker to join the Gunners from Madrid in a £500,000 deal. The Baltic hitman had been in prolific form during spells with Sevilla and Real, claiming La Liga, Supercup and Champions League honours alongside leading his country’s charge to third place at the 1998 World Cup Finals.

However, Suker appeared to be signed as a short term replacement for Anelka as the sun began to set on an illustrious career. Disappointingly, he mustered just 8 goals in 22 appearances and the off season saw him call time on his short stint with Arsenal, moving across the English capital to West Ham United.

Francis Jeffers, dubbed ‘the fox in the box’ by Arsene Wenger, became one of several big money signings to lay claim to the number nine jersey. Purchased from Everton in 2001 for £8million, Jeffers three year stint at Highbury was plagued by serious injuries and he formed an intimate relationship with the Arsenal treatment table and was shipped back to Merseyside on loan before being sold to Charlton Athletic following an unsuccesful reunion with his former club.

The attentions of the rapidly developing hoodoo turned to Spaniard Jose Antonio Reyes – another big money signing for the initial sum of £10million from Sevilla.

Reyes initiated his Arsenal career in incandescent fashion, chalking up a victorious brace in an FA Cup tie versus Chelsea, plus goals in the Gunners’ penultimate two games of the season - essentially keeping the red army on course to become the first team to complete an entire campaign unconquered since Preston North End in 1888-89.

Despite mediocre success on the pitch, Reyes’ unsettlement became consistently unconcealed and made no secret of his desire to return to Spain, triggering the arrival of a Beast of a striker – albeit a very tame one.

Real Madrids’ Brazilian hot shot Julio Baptista became interlaced with the Gunners in a season long loan deal which reciprocated Reyes in the opposite direction.

He’ll always be remembered for his quite astonishing performance at Anfield in the Carling Cup where he scored four goals on the night, but feeble finishing and contemptible conviction on the ball made certain that he would live in the shadows of the emerging Emmanuel Adebayor and iconic club captain Thierry Henry.

The summer of 2007 saw the number nine’s current occupant - Eduardo da Silva - drafted in for £8million. His success in the Croatian league at Dinamo Zagreb prompted Wenger to sign the man who helped to thwart the attempts of Steve McLaren to take England to the European Championships of 2008.

An instant hit with the fans, Eduardo’s prowess and ability to be in the right place at the right time reaped huge rewards for the Gunners as he helped to guide the team to the peak of the English football pyramid at Christmas in the 2007/08 season. He gained increasing influence and momentum on the pitch after the festive season, but an horrific injury against Birmingham City in February meant Eduardo would sit out the best part of a year, before making a smattering of appearances towards the end of the 2008/09 campaign.

And now we just need to wait the new number 9 for Arsenal to remove the curse of it

Wenger purrs over Fabregas Wilshere partnership

Arsene Wenger believes Cesc Fabregas and Jack Wilshere can forge a formidable partnership at the heart of Arsenal's midfield after watching the pair combine to demolish Group H rivals Shakhtar Donetsk 5-1.

The pair looked in irresistable form as they both grabbed a goal against the Ukrainians and helped Arsenal to all but secure their place in the last 16 of the Champions League. Further goals from Samir Nasri, Alex Song and Marouane Chamakh sealed the rout.

Fabregas had been out since mid-September with a hamstring problem, while Wilshere had a point to prove following his headline-grabbing red card against Birmingham on Saturday. "I am convinced it works well together,'' said Wenger. "Cesc just came back tonight, but Jack has a good maturity level. You never think he is 18 when plays and overall they combined very well.''

Wilshere could be set for another England call-up against France in next month's friendly at Wembley. On the possibility of the 18-year-old being handed a first start, Wenger said: "Without wanting to make headlines, it's difficult to say. If you ask me the reverse question, do you think he is not ready to play for England? It's hard to say no.''

The Gunners boss, though, warned against over-expectation. "Jack is a box-to-box player, but can play in any position across the midfield and also behind the striker because he can penetrate. We have to give him time and let him play - I know that's not easy for you and not your [media's] greatest strength.''

There was a flashpoint involving Wilshere during the first half when a late challenge left Shakhtar midfielder Tomas Hubschman in a heap, but which only received a stern warning from Norwegian referee Svein Oddvar Moen. "You want the player to go for the ball. So long as he goes for the ball with intention,'' Wenger said. "He's a bit late, that can happen.''

The Arsenal manager added: "Sometimes when you get such a storm you want to go the other way, but what was important tonight was that he just played football and just went for the game like a real player. Jack is a player with a good technical level, but as well is a player who doesn't hide from challenges, and that is a tremendous strength which you do not want to lose.''

Fabregas was pleased with his comeback. He told Sky Sports 2: "I wanted to have 60-70 minutes and at 3-0 it was time to come off. I didn't feel anything, it felt great. We thought it was better to start the game because mentally you are more ready and you warm up better. It felt fine.''

Wilshere added: "I've had a lot of games now and scored a couple, hopefully I can get a few more games now.'' On his side's goal glut the teenager said: "I think it shows we're ready for the competition, even in the Premier League we're scoring goals. We started off sharp, they couldn't handle us and we got the goals.''

Next up for Arsenal is a trip to Barclays Premier League rivals Manchester City on Sunday. Wenger said: "We have won our last two games now and it that is important because we go into the Manchester City game with a good level of confidence and with some certainties in the way we want to behave.''

Eduardo - who had battled back from an horrific broken leg and dislocated ankle at Birmingham in February 2008 - received applause from the home support after he volleyed home a well-taken effort in the closing stages, which he did not celebrate.

"If you wanted a Shakhtar Donetsk player to score a goal then it was Eduardo,'' said Wenger. "Everyone has good feelings for him because everyone knows the sort of player he was when he arrived and what he went through.''

Shakhtar Donetsk coach Mircea Lucescu admitted his team's gameplan went out the window with some sloppy defending. "We could not play the offensive game, but we organised very well,'' he said. "However, we gave them mistakes to make it 2-0.''