Power Ranking Every Arsenal Player from the 2014/15 Premier League Season
The Premier League is over for another year, and Arsenal will be left to reflect on a season that saw them finish in third place.
In this piece, we run through the squad and rank the players according to their contribution to the Arsenal cause between August and May. Frequency of appearance is of course a factor, but more crucial is the scale of the impact of each individual on the team.
Arsenal used 29 players in the course of the 2014/15 Premier League campaign. Go to the next slide to begin the countdown.
29. Ainsley Maitland-Niles
1 of 29
Ainsley Maitland-Niles is a talented teenage midfielder who was converted from a winger to a holding player in the course of the 2014/15 season.
He only made one cameo in this campaign, but we are likely to see more of him next year.
28. Chuba Akpom
2 of 29
Chuba Akpom made a handful of substitute appearances in the Premier League in January as part of Arsene Wenger’s concerted campaign to convince him to sign a new deal.
Now that his future is secure, he is likely to move on loan next season to gain vital first-team experience.
27. Yaya Sanogo
3 of 29
With only one Premier League start for Arsenal, Yaya Sanogo made a relatively minor contribution to Arsenal’s season.
Despite a loan move to Crystal Palace in January, he is still awaiting his first Premier League goal. With the likes of Chuba Akpom gaining ground on him, it’s difficult to see him making a full-fledged breakthrough to the first team.
26. Joel Campbell
4 of 29
Joel Campbell spent the first half of the season on the periphery of the first-team squad. It was no great surprise when he was eventually moved to Villarreal on loan, and it would now be something of a shock to see him return.
After waiting three years for the Costa Rica international to acquire a work permit, Arsenal fans probably expected a greater impact from the young forward.
25. Emiliano Martinez
5 of 29
The Argentinian goalkeeper made four Premier League appearances in 2014/15, enhancing his reputation as a reliable stopper in the process.
After impressing during a subsequent loan spell with Rotherham, Emiliano Martinez is due to play a larger part in the squad next season.
24. Lukas Podolski
6 of 29
Lukas Podolski has surely kicked his last ball in an Arsenal shirt. After being little more than a costly reserve in the early portion of the season, he eventually joined Inter Milan on loan.
His seven Premier League appearances failed to yield a single goal or assist.
23. Mikel Arteta
7 of 29
Arsenal skipper Mikel Arteta was conspicuous by his absence this season. A succession of injury problems limited him to just six Premier League starts.
Even when he was fit, he struggled to show his best form. The emergence of Francis Coquelin has added bite and balance to the Arsenal midfield, thus emphasising some of the weaker aspects of Arteta’s game.
22. Wojciech Szczesny
8 of 29
This was the campaign in which Wojciech Szczesny lost his status as Arsenal’s No. 1 goalkeeper. After compounding two New Year’s Day errors against Southampton by smoking in the dressing room, the Pole found himself unceremoniously dropped in favour of David Ospina.
He will not look back on 2014/15 fondly.
21. Tomas Rosicky
9 of 29
It’s something of a surprise that Tomas Rosicky has extended his contract with Arsenal, given that he was limited to just five Premier League starts this season.
He did manage to make an impression during a brief run in the team in January. Those fleeting glimpses of energy and creativity were seemingly enough to convince Arsene Wenger that he could be useful in 2015/16.
20. Theo Walcott
10 of 29
Although he finished with a hat-trick on the last day of the season, for the most part, Theo Walcott barely made an impression on Arsenal’s Premier League campaign.
He missed the first half as he recuperated from an anterior cruciate ligament injury and was then used very sparingly by Arsene Wenger. After returning from injury, he only managed to accumulate four starts, although he did notch five league goals.
19. Mathieu Flamini
11 of 29
Although Mathieu Flamini made 23 Premier League appearances in 2014/15, he also found himself passed in the pecking order by a younger Frenchman: Francis Coquelin.
Flamini's appearances became increasingly infrequent as the campaign wore on. Most Arsenal fans will not have been too disappointed, as when he did play, he made a series of high-profile errors—such as conceding possession to allow Tottenham to take the lead in September's north London derby.
18. Calum Chambers
12 of 29
This season was a real test for Calum Chambers. He started the campaign superbly, filling in at centre-back and earning a call-up to the senior England squad.
However, at full-back his inexperience and lack of pace were occasionally exposed. As time went on, Arsene Wenger chose to use him sparingly. Clearly, the Arsenal boss is worried about the risks of overexposing this young talent.
17. Jack Wilshere
13 of 29
Once again, injury problems have prevented Jack Wilshere from having a major impact on Arsenal's season.
There were a couple of notable highlights, such as the stunning goals against Manchester City and West Brom, but sadly Wilshere spent more time in the treatment room than in the heart of the Arsenal midfield.
16. Gabriel Paulista
14 of 29
Gabriel may only have made a handful of Premier League appearances, but his arrival still had a major impact on the season.
His presence in the squad afforded Arsene Wenger the ability to rotate his weary centre-halves when required and ensured the Gunners had the requisite depth to survive an intense end to the season.
15. Mathieu Debuchy
15 of 29
When he played, Mathieu Debuchy looked like an astute acquisition. His experience made him an ideal replacement for Bacary Sagna.
However, his season was beset with injury problems. In his absence, Hector Bellerin seized the right-back role, and it remains to be seen if Debuchy can reclaim his place.
14. Kieran Gibbs
16 of 29
It is somewhat ironic that in the same season in which Kieran Gibbs was handed the No. 3 shirt, he also lost his status as Arsenal's first-choice left-back.
Although he began 2014/15 as Arsene Wenger's preferred option, injuries and inconsistency have enabled Nacho Monreal to leapfrog him. Nevertheless, he remains an important component of Wenger's squad.
13. Danny Welbeck
17 of 29
Danny Welbeck's two major contributions to Arsenal's season came away from the Premier League: a European hat-trick against Galatasaray and an FA Cup goal to knock out former club Manchester United.
In the league, he only managed to score four times. This was due in large part to being played wide rather than through the middle. Next season, he'll hope to challenge Olivier Giroud for a spot as the team's central striker.
12. Per Mertesacker
18 of 29
Per Mertesacker had a slow start to the season. The exertions of the World Cup seemed to be playing on both his body and mind, but as the months went by, he became increasingly assured in his performances.
He was helped by the return of Laurent Koscielny. Mertesacker always looks more comfortable with the fleet-footed Frenchman by his side.
11. David Ospina
19 of 29
After arriving in the summer from Nice, David Ospina was widely expected to spend the season as the back-up to Wojciech Szczesny.
However, since January he has edged ahead of Szczesny in the pecking order, keeping an impressive eight clean sheets in his 18 Premier League appearances.
10. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
20 of 29
Although Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's season was interrupted by his now-customary injury problems, he began the campaign in superb form. The arrival of Alexis Sanchez seemed to invigorate the Englishman, who did a good job of emulating Alexis' relentless work rate and dynamic dribbling.
However, he still falls short when it comes to end product. Oxlade-Chamberlain will be eager to convert his potential into more goals and assists next season.
9. Hector Bellerin
21 of 29
Last summer, Hector Bellerin was the fourth-choice right-back at the club behind Mathieu Debuchy, Calum Chambers and Carl Jenkinson. Remarkably, he has ended 2014/15 as the man in possession of the shirt.
His emergence has been one of the surprising successes of Arsenal's season.
8. Aaron Ramsey
22 of 29
Although he did not match the heroics of 2013/14, Aaron Ramsey remains a vital cog in Arsenal's midfield engine.
Perhaps his stand-out performance came in the Premier League match at Old Trafford, when he sparked the second-half revival that enabled Arsenal to snatch a 1-1 draw.
7. Nacho Monreal
23 of 29
Nacho Monreal is now fully adjusted to life in the English Premier League.
Across the course of the season, he surpassed Kieran Gibbs as Arsenal's first-choice left-back. His progress seemed to be accelerated by a spell at centre-half, which toughened him up and forced him to deal with the physical side of the English game. Since then, he has been a revelation.
6. Mesut Ozil
24 of 29
Although he missed three months of the season with injury, this was a hugely important year for Mesut Ozil. After returning from his knee injury in January, he looked like a player transformed. In the second half of 2014/15, he played his best football since leaving Real Madrid.
Ozil's body and mind both seem more robust, and he is finally taking responsibility as Arsenal's key playmaker.
5. Laurent Koscielny
25 of 29
Laurent Koscielny's recovery from an Achilles problem was absolutely crucial to Arsenal's recovery in the second half of the season. Once he got fit, the Gunners instantly looked more secure at the back.
Koscielny's speed and aggression make him a brilliant counterpart to the positionally astute Per Mertesacker.
4. Santi Cazorla
26 of 29
In 2014/15, Santi Cazorla reinvented himself as a deep-lying midfielder.
He began the season being used on the flank, but an injury crisis forced Arsene Wenger to redeploy him in the middle of the park. Cazorla flourished in his new role, demonstrating surprising physical attributes to complement his incredible technical ability.
3. Olivier Giroud
27 of 29
Although he suffered a mini goal drought at the end of the Premier League season, Olivier Giroud largely enjoyed an extremely prolific campaign.
Despite suffering a fractured leg in August, he went on to score 14 goals in 27 Premier League appearances.
Goals against the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool suggest he is over his issue of not scoring in big games. Giroud improves year to year, and Arsenal will be looking for him to step up yet again next season.
2. Francis Coquelin
28 of 29
It is truly extraordinary that Francis Coquelin figures so high up this ranking.
Early on in the season, he was on loan at Charlton. However, once recalled he fought his way into the Arsenal first XI and never looked back.
Coquelin's presence makes Arsenal an infinitely more balanced outfit. He is now arguably the first name on Arsene Wenger's teamsheet.
1. Alexis Sanchez
29 of 29
With 16 goals and eight assists in 35 appearances, Alexis Sanchez enjoyed a remarkable debut season in the Premier League.
He took to English football like a duck to water and was the undoubted star of Arsenal's season, earning a PFA Player of the Year nomination along the way.
Alexis was an inspiration to fans and team-mates alike throughout 2014/15.
What do you think? Would you have ranked Alexis as Arsenal's top performer? Let us know below.
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