Arsenal’s Greatest Ever 11 Named by Piers Morgan

Arsenal have had some legendary teams down the years. Most football fans will recall Arsene Wenger’s 2004 Invincibles as the best Gunners side in their memory, while the double-winning team of 1997-98 was also mightily impressive.

Celebrity Arsenal fan Piers Morgan was around to remember far earlier Arsenal teams but remembers players from those teams most fondly, evidenced by the players he included in his all-time Gunners XI.

Morgan responded to a video on social media platform X that showed former Highbury boss George Graham naming his all-time Arsenal XI, and the former Daily Mirror editor even made room for a couple of players from Arsenal’s current team.

Goalkeeper

David Seaman

David Seaman is undoubtedly one of the greatest Premier League goalkeepers of all-time. Seaman began his career at Peterborough United in 1982 and had spells at Birmingham City and QPR before signing for Arsenal in 1990, where he spent 13 years.

During his time at Arsenal he won three league titles, in 1991, 1998 and 2002, as well as four FA Cups, a League Cup and a European Cup Winners’ Cup. On an individual level, Seaman was named in the Premier League’s team of the decade between 1992 and 2002, and was named in the PFA Team of the Year twice.

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Defenders

Lee Dixon, Tony Adams, Sol Campbell, Ashley Cole

When Morgan named his all-time Arsenal XI in March 2023, he didn’t have either Sol Campbell or Ashley Cole in it, instead opting for David O’Leary and Oleksandr Zinchenko. Zinchenko’s stock at Arsenal has fallen since last season, so Cole, who famously left Arsenal for Chelsea in 2006, gets the nod, while Morgan clearly had a change of heart over who should partner Tony Adams in the centre of defence.

It is unlikely that including Cole in the team is an indicator that Morgan has warmed to the former England defender. Morgan has referred to Cole as ‘Cashley’ on social media on a number of occasions in reference to his acrimonious exit.

Midfielders

Patrick Vieira, Declan Rice, Robert Pires, Bukayo Saka

Morgan has stuck with three of the four midfielders he selected in his 2023 all-time Arsenal XI, but there is no longer room for Emmanuel Petit, with Declan Rice getting the nod over the World Cup-winning Frenchman. Morgan hailed the signing of Rice in March, telling talkSPORT: “If you ask me above all else what has been the difference, it’s Declan Rice.

“Last season we choked the league because we didn’t have the right kind of players with the right mentality. I think putting Declan Rice in front of the defence has made it purr.”

As for the rest of the midfield, Patrick Vieira is widely regarded as one of the all-time great Premier League midfielders, while Robert Pires was a key player during a successful period for Arsenal in the 2000s, winning two league titles as well as two FA Cups.

Bukayo Saka’s only piece of silverware to date is the 2020 FA Cup but he has established himself as one of the best young wingers in England and could yet end the season with a Premier League winner’s medal around his neck.

Forwards

Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp

Morgan is not afraid of making it known just how highly he rates Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp and he selected the duo as strike partners in his all-time XI.

On Bergkamp, Morgan previously wrote on X: “I’ve had so many favourite Arsenal players in my 50 years of being a supporter, including George, Brady, Wright, Adams, Vieira, Pires, Henry & Aubameyang – but none was better than Dennis Bergkamp. For me, the greatest to ever wear our shirt.”

Morgan said that Henry’s move to Barcelona in 2007 was the one transfer that hurt him the most as a supporter, saying it “broke my heart”. Bergkamp spent 11 years at Arsenal between 1995 and 2006, winning three league titles and four FA Cups, while Henry’s eight-year stay between 1999 and 2007 yielded two league titles and two FA Cups.

Bench

Jens Lehmann, Martin Keown, Liam Brady, Marc Overmars, Ian Wright

There’s no place among the substitutes for either of the players that Morgan dropped from his 2023 all-time XI, with O’Leary and Petit snubbed entirely, but there can be few gripes with the players named on the bench.

Jens Lehmann was Arsenal’s first-choice goalkeeper in the Invincibles season, while Martin Keown spent spent 11 years at Highbury between 1993 and 2004, winning seven major trophies.

Liam Brady was an attacking midfielder for the Gunners between 1973 and 1980 and was part of the 1979 FA Cup-winning team. Brady later went on to play in Serie A for Juventus, Sampdoria, Inter Milan and Ascoli, winning back-to-back Scudettos with Juve.

Marc Overmars was only at Arsenal for three years but makes Morgan’s bench, while Ian Wright is the final substitute. Wright was Arsenal’s all-time top scorer with 179 goals before Henry took that record from him. Wright does, however, have a greater goals-to-games ratio than the Frenchman.

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