Last week, Arsene Wenger made it 20 years not out as Arsenal manager.
The Frenchman was unveiled on the 22 September 1996 to replace Bruce Rioch and officially became club manager on October 1 in the same year.
That means Wenger has been in the job for two decades!
Despite some unease over the Frenchman at the start, Wenger proved successful in his early Gunners career as he delivered three Premier League titles in his first seven years. He has also won the FA Cup and Community Shield six times apiece.
Wenger’s career reached it’s highest point with the ‘Invincibles’ – the Arsenal side which won the 2003/04 title without losing a game, This team contained legendary players such as Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira.
Despite only having a couple of FA Cups to show in recent years, Wenger still has the impressive record of never finishing outside the top four in his tenure. He has managed this despite spending less than a lot of his rivals thanks to some shrewd signings.
FootballFanCast looks at FIVE of the best…
NICOLAS ANELKA
While many would be expecting Patrick Vieira to be on the list, the dynamic midfielder was technically not a Wenger signing.
The Frenchman came in before Wenger took charge meaning he was not, in fact, Le Prof’s first transfer.
That honour goes to Nicolas Anelka, a striker who didn’t go on to do badly either.
Anelka was signed for £500,000 in the 1996/97 season at just 17-years-old. His best season was undoubtedly 1998/99 where he scored 17 goals in 35 games and earned the PFA Young Player of the Year award.
‘Le Sulk’, as he became known, didn’t endear himself to Arsenal fans with his attitude, but the £22m fee he brought in from Real Madrid certainly worked out for them.
SOL CAMPBELL
One man who didn’t take long to endear himself to Arsenal fans was Sol Campbell.
After moving on a free transfer from rivals Tottenham Hotspur, the powerful centre-back enjoyed five seasons with the Gunners, making 197 appearances and scoring 11 goals.
Campbell was a key part of the ‘Invincibles’ side, forming a solid partnership with Kolo Toure and striking fear into opposition strikers.
‘Big Sol’ also enjoyed a distinguished international career, appearing 73 times for an England side that hasn’t looked any better since he left.
ROBERT PIRES
Part of the same team that dominated the 2003/04 season, Robert Pires will always be remembered fondly by Arsenal fans.
Signed for £8.3m from Marseille, the Frenchman arrived with a reputation as a member of a national side that had won both the 1998 World Cup and EURO 2000.
Pires arguably saved his best football for the Gunners, however, scoring 84 times in 189 appearances and setting up many, many more.
The Frenchman won two leagues and three FA Cups with Arsenal and was also a member of the side that was beaten in the Champions League final by Barcelona in 2006.
LAURENT KOSCIELNY
While not having won as much as the previous names on this list, Laurent Koscielny can proudly call himself the best Wenger signing of recent times.
In a side that has been accused of lacking fight and not being forceful enough in the league, the Frenchman has added steel and determination to his pace during his tenure at the Emirates Stadium.
Signed for around £10m in 2010, Koscielny has arguably been the most consistent Premier League defender this decade, and it is a testament to Wenger’s faith that he’d probably fetch at least four times that now.
THIERRY HENRY
There is really no man more suitable to finish this list than ‘The King.’
A legend of both Highbury and the Emirates, Henry is Arsenal’s record goalscorer with 226 goals in 339 games and also boasts the record for the most Premier League goals with a single team (174).
Henry enjoyed great success with Wenger after being signed from Juventus for £10.5m. He was the key man in the ‘Invincibles’ side and won the Golden Boot four times, as well as seven trophies with the club.
He also had fans off their seats, either by using his incredible pace, sublime dribbling or impeccable technique to do this impossible almost every week.
It was an emotional day when Henry eventually left for Barcelona for twice his original fee, and the Frenchman goes down as not only one of Wenger’s best signings, but arguably the greatest player of the Premier League era.