Ranking the Top 5 Players to Have Represented Both Arsenal and West Ham United

Arsenal and West Ham United are two of London’s proudest and most historic clubs. They share traditions of passionate support and aesthetically pleasing football.

However, they have also shared a number of outstanding players throughout the years.

In the 1990s, players moved from one club to the other with such frequency that Arsenal fans were often heard quipping, “Old Arsenal players don’t retire—they just move to West Ham.”

Ahead of this weekend’s crucial Premier League clash between the two sides, we identify the top five players to have represented both clubs. They are ranked according to their overall careers, not solely their achievements with either the Gunners or the Hammers. 

Go to the next slide to begin the countdown of the best players cheered on by both sets of supporters.

5. Matthew Upson

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When Arsenal signed Matthew Upson for £2 million as a teenager from Luton Town, there were high hopes that he could one day replace Tony Adams as the bedrock of the Gunners defence. However, injuries disrupted his progress, and he never developed into anything more than a squad player.

Upson did make 14 league appearances in Arsenal’s title-winning campaign of 2001/02, earning himself a winner's medal in the process, but Arsene Wenger deemed him disposable in 2003, and he joined Birmingham City.

When Birmingham were relegated to the Championship, Upson was snapped up by West Ham. Although he continued to struggle with injury problems in east London, he was eventually appointed club captain.

Upson won 21 caps for England and was a starter for Fabio Capello in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. He’s the only player in this list still plying his trade—he currently represents Championship side MK Dons.

Although he enjoyed a good career, there’s still a sense of unfulfilled promise about this gifted left-sided defender.

4. Nigel Winterburn

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Nigel Winterburn was part of arguably the most famous back four in the history of English football. Under George Graham’s stern stewardship, his relationship with Lee Dixon, Tony Adams and one of Steve Bould or Martin Keown gave Arsenal the meanest defence in the land.

Winerburn could play, too. He is fondly remembered in north London for some outstanding goals—particularly a swerving, dipping drive from range in a 3-2 thriller against Chelsea in 1997.

His love of the game was so fierce that when the time came to leave Arsenal in 2000, he decided to play on with West Ham.

Incredibly, he extracted another three years from his career, meaning he eventually retired at the ripe age of 39. For an outfield player in a position as physically demanding as full-back, that’s remarkable. It’s a testament to Winterburn’s fitness and ability to reinvent himself that he managed to play on for that long. 

It’s strange in some ways that he didn’t receive more international recognition—Winterburn retired with just two caps to his name.

3. Freddie Ljungberg

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Freddie Ljungberg is an Arsenal legend. He particularly endeared himself to the fans during the run-in to the 2001/02 title win, when a streak of goals helped propel Arsenal to finish on top of the Premier League. 

The sight of the Swede dashing onto an angled Dennis Bergkamp pass to finish nonchalantly became a regular one in north London.

Ljungberg also formed an integral part of the great Invincibles side, combining superbly with the likes of Bergkamp and Robert Pires to support Thierry Henry in attack.

However, in the latter part of his Arsenal career, injuries began to take their toll. Eventually he was sold to West Ham in 2007 for a modest fee of £3 million.

Things started brightly: He was captain on his debut against Manchester City. However, his goalscoring touch deserted him, and he didn’t score his first Hammers goal until seven months into his time with the club. On the final day of the season, his injury curse returned when he suffered broken ribs. 

Eventually, his contract with the club was cancelled just 16 months into a long-term deal. It was an ignominious end to his time in English football, but his achievements with Arsenal will never be forgotten.

2. Davor Suker

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The list of teams that Davor Suker represented is quite illustrious. It includes Dinamo Zagreb, Sevilla, 1860 Munich and both the Yugoslavia and Croatian international sides. There are couple of notable exceptions on that list: Between 1999 and 2001, he played for Arsenal and West Ham.

He joined the Gunners when Nicolas Anelka moved to Real Madrid. It was an unusual signing from Arsene Wenger—Suker was already 31 at the time of his arrival. However, his pedigree was clear. He had won the Golden Boot at the 1998 World Cup after finishing as the tournament’s top scorer.

His class was evident in his limited Gunners outings—he scored eight goals in 22 appearances, including an outrageous lobbed volley against Sunderland.

However, Suker never really won a regular place—he was not helped by the emergence of a certain Thierry Henry. After just one season with the Gunners, he switched allegiance to West Ham.

It was a similar story for Suker with the Hammers. He scored just twice in 11 appearances before moving on to Germany.

However, he still figures high in this list due to his overall career. By the time he retired, Suker had won La Liga, the Spanish Super Cup, the UEFA Champions League, the Intercontinental Cup and the FIFA World Youth Championship and was runner-up for the Ballon d’Or.

1. Ian Wright

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Until Thierry Henry came along, Ian Wright was the top goalscorer in Arsenal’s history. His total of 185 goals in 288 appearances looked as if it would never be beaten. 

He was the supreme poacher, snapping up chances with ease. His charisma also made him a hero to the fans, and he is remembered as fondly for his wild celebrations as his brilliant goals.

Wright was so synonymous with all things Arsenal that it was difficult to envisage him even wearing another Premier League club’s shirt. However, West Ham appeared a good fit: They played attractive football and had the kind of raw emotional support that Wright’s extrovert personality thrived on.

However, he could never recapture the glory days. Wright spent just 15 months with the Hammers before embarking on a series of short-term moves that saw his career peter out. Although he scored on his debut against Sheffield Wednesday, he ended up recording just nine goals in claret and blue.

That can’t shift him from top spot, though. Wright was one of the greatest goalscorers of his generation, and his record-breaking achievements secure him the title of the best player to represent both Arsenal and West Ham.