Arsenal are one of the most successful football clubs in the history of the English game. Since the First Division’s rebrand to the Premier League in 1992, the Gunners have enjoyed many successful top-flight campaigns.
Powering those successful campaigns were the goals of some lethal front players. However, which players have been the most prolific in the Premier League era for Arsenal?
Thierry Henry (175 goals in 258 appearances)
The former France international is undoubtedly one of the best players to have played in the modern era of the English game.
Henry joined Arsenal in August 1999 from Italian giants Juventus for a fee of around £11m. What a bargain he turned out to be, as he took the Premier League by storm in north London.
Henry scored a highly impressive 175 goals in 252 appearances in the Premier League while also producing 80 assists in eight and a bit seasons.
In his initial spell with the north London club, the forward scored double figures in all eight Premier League campaigns. He also had a brief loan spell towards the end of his career, during which he also scored once in four top-flight outings.
Henry’s goals helped his team win the Premier League in 2001/02 and 2003/04. He also reached the Champions League final with Arsene Wenger’s team in 2005/06, only to be beaten in the final by Catalan giants Barcelona.
On an individual basis, Henry’s goals earned him the Premier League Golden Boot award in four seasons, as he finished as the English top-flight top goalscorer in seasons 2001–02, 2003–04, 2004–05 and 2005–06.
Ian Wright (104 goals in 191 appearances)
Like Henry, the former England international is a modern Arsenal legend. Wright joined the north London club from Crystal Palace in September 1991 for a reported fee of £2.5m.
Wright played for the Gunners in six Premier League campaigns, reaching double figures in all of them. During his time with the club from north London, he helped his team claim the Premier League once in season 1997/98.
Despite his goalscoring exploits with Arsenal, Wright’s only top-flight Golden Boot award came in the season before the Premier League began in the 1991/92 campaign
However, Wright was named in the Premier League team of the season on two occasions in seasons 1992/93 and 1996/97.
Robin van Persie (96 goals in 194 appearances)
The Dutch forward joined Arsenal from home city club Feyenoord in May 2004 for a fee of around £2.75m.
Van Persie spent eight seasons with the north London club. His most prolific campaign in an Arsenal shirt came in the 2011/12 season when he plundered 30 goals in 38 top-flight appearances.
It was his last season as a Gunners player before he made a somewhat controversial switch to Premier League rivals Manchester United.
His last season with the Gunners was the only campaign in which he won the Golden Boot with the north London outfit, although he did claim it a second time the following season, as he helped United to win the Premier League title.
Dennis Bergkamp (87 goals in 315 appearances)
Bergkamp arrived at the north London club in June 1995 from Italian giants Inter for a fee of £7.5m. Like most of Arsenal’s top Premier League goalscorers, he proved to be excellent value for money.
The Dutchman is the player with the most Premier League appearances for the Gunners on our list, as he made 315 appearances, scoring 87 times. His 88 English top-flight assists show his selflessness and value to his team.
He played at Arsenal for 11 Premier League seasons, with his most prolific campaign coming in season 1997/98, when he scored 16 top-flight goals.
The forward played a part in the Gunners winning the Premier League title on three occasions in seasons 1997/98, 2001/02 and 2003/04.
Olivier Giroud (73 goals in 180 appearances)
The Frenchman cost Arsenal around £9.6m when he joined the north London club from Montpellier in June 2012.
Giroud spent six seasons with the Gunners, five of which he managed to get into double figures for goals. The most prolific campaign of his Arsenal career came in seasons 2013/14 and 2015/16 when he scored 16 top-flight goals.
Unfortunately for Giroud and Arsenal fans, he never managed to win the Premier League title with the Gunners. However, he did pick up three FA Cup winners medals in seasons 2013/14, 2014/15 and 2016/17.
Giroud moved to capital rivals Chelsea in January 2018 and went on to pick up a Champions League winners medal in 2021, as the Blues became European champions for a second time.
Who is your favourite player on our list of Arsenal Premier League goalscorers?