Ranking every player to wear No.8 for Arsenal in the Premier League

While it might not be the most iconic shirt number, some of the eight players who have worn it are among the best to play for the Gunners.

Ranking the eight players was a tough task, but here they are – from the player who did the least in an Arsenal shirt to the one who made the biggest impact, ever since the Premier League introduced official squad numbers for the 1993-94 season, from worst to best.

The easiest pick of the lot. French midfielder Diarra was given the No.8 shirt after arriving from Chelsea in the summer of 2007 but didn’t even manage to play eight league games for the Gunners before being shipped off to Portsmouth in January.

His 13 games in all competitions brought no goals, but he only tasted defeat once – a 2-1 reverse at Middlesbrough – and left the Emirates Stadium with the team level on points with Manchester United at the top of the Premier League table.

After struggling for regular first-team minutes at Real Madrid, Ceballos decided to join Arsenal on loan ahead of 2019-20.

The Spain international helped the Gunners win the FA Cup in 2020 and did enough to return to the Emirates for a second successive loan.

But he failed to build on that promising first season and found himself in and out of the team in 2020-21, starting just 17 Premier League games before heading back to Madrid. 

Nasri’s high points at Arsenal were very high, but he loses points for leaving under a cloud. After all, there aren’t exactly many fans who would welcome him back with open arms.

Additionally, the Frenchman’s ranking on this list is testament to the quality of the other players to wear No.8 for Arsenal. He might be top of other clubs’ lists with performances of the same calibre, but he’s dealing with some phenomenal