Arsenal FC: 11 Most Underrated Players in the Gunners' History

Arsenal FC have produced many brilliant players, who have helped them win many trophies for the club. The club is widely respected for its history and success in the past and is a modern European big club after the introduction of Arsene Wenger in 1996. Though quality players are a requisite for any club to be successful, there are many others who can show determination and passion that are also essential to win trophies.

Also, there are many in the history of Arsenal who were admired by the Gunners supporters but were not recognised for their quality by many others. There have been many who have shown utmost professionalism during their time at the club and have been very useful squad players. Squad players add a lot of depth to the squad and they are also very important players who can contribute to the success of a club.

There have been a number of Arsenal players who have been underrated for various reasons in the past and here is a list of 11 underrated players in Arsenal's history.

1. Paul Davis

Paul Davis was one of the most underrated players in the history of Arsenal and never managed to make an appearance for England despite managing 447 appearances for the Gunners. He was arguably one of the most talented Arsenal players who never made a single international appearance. The midfielder's strengths were a strong left foot, good vision and fierce loyalty to the club which endeared him to the supporters.

He was with the Gunners for around 17 years after signing his first professional contract in 1978 and he left the club in 1995 to join Norwegian side Stabæk and later Brentford. He was a firm fan favorite, could create goals and played an important role in some of the trophies won during his time with the club. 

2. Gilberto Silva

Gilberto Silva established himself as one of the most important members of the Arsenal side since he was signed from Atletico Mineiro and after his performances in the World Cup in 2002, the Gunners were interested in his services and acquired the Brazilian in the same year. He established a strong partnership with Patrick Vieira at the heart of the Arsenal midfield and provided a good shield for the defense, especially in counterattacks as Vieira also joined in attacks.

He was nicknamed the "Invisible Wall" because of his tendency to appear anywhere in midfield to cut off attacks and provide an excellent shield for the defense. He established two good partnerships during his time with the club—first with Vieira and then when the Frenchman left, with the precocious Cesc Fabregas. His absence in the 2004-05 season due to injury was cited by many as the reason for their inconsistent performances which led to them failing in their attempt to defend their Premiership title.

Wenger's policy of handing out one-year contracts to players above the age of 30 did not do favors to Gilberto Silva as he finally departed the club in 2008 to join Greek side Panathinaikos. Though he is underrated to some extent, he is also considered as one of the best midfielders to play under Wenger by many Arsenal supporters.

3. Ray Parlour

Ray Parlour, also nicknamed as the "Romford Pele," is one of the most underrated players in football considering that he was also one of the most important players in the Gunners squad. He emerged through the ranks of Arsenal and he was known for his hardworking attributes and work rate in midfield. With the arrival of Arsene Wenger who emphasised technical skill, it was initially thought by many that Parlour would be shown the door.

However, Parlour developed greatly as a player under Wenger who gave him the freedom to express himself on the pitch. The fans loved his passion and commitment and when Parlour scored, it was mostly exceptional from distance. The English-born midfielder enjoyed plenty of success under Wenger, who trusted him because of his determination to win and alongside Vieira and others, they showed their tough mentality which is why they won plenty of trophies under Wenger. Parlour made over 450 appearances for the Gunners and he finally left the club to join Middlesbrough in 2004.

4. Lauren

Lauren was another player signed by Wenger who was not known much outside of Spain and Arsenal signed him from Mallorca in 2000. Though his first season with the club was blighted by injuries, he established himself as an important player for the Gunners, eventually replacing Lee Dixon and also moving ahead of Oleh Luzhny in the process of doing so.

The former Cameroon international could also play as a midfielder and though he was probably as talented as some of the other members of the team during his time like Sol Campbell, Dennis Bergkamp or Robert Pires, he added value to the squad with his tenacious defending and also provided good width in attack. He eventually left the club in 2007 and joined Portsmouth but could not reproduce his best form with Arsenal.

5. Gilles Grimandi

Gilles Grimandi had worked with Wenger in Monaco and the French tactician knew what Grimandi would bring to Arsenal when he did sign him. Though Grimandi was not a preferred starter for the Gunners, who possessed a strong team, his versatility meant that he did play a lot due to injuries to various players. He could play efficiently at centre-back, right-back and also as a central midfielder and played an important role in Wenger's early success with Arsenal.

Grimandi could be considered as one of the underrated players in Arsenal's history but fans admired his passion and professionalism and he was hugely respected at Highbury. The Frenchman was not a world-class player but his determination to win and hard work meant that he was a tough player for the opposition and repaid the faith shown in him by Wenger. He also took up a job as one of Wenger's trusted scouts and mostly scouts in France where his knowledge can be utilized by Arsenal.

6. Edu

Arsene Wenger brought with him a knowledge of players far and wide from England and also had excellent scouting staff from the beginning of his tenure, which is why he was able to sign many excellent players without much competition. Wenger signed Edu from Corinthians when the Brazilian was progressing well at the Brazilian club and it was his first stint with an European club. By the time he was signed, fans were accustomed to seeing Wenger signing relative unknowns and did not question his judgement.

He was injured on his debut and missed much of his first season after signing for the Gunners in January 2001. However, he subsequently proved his worth in the next couple of seasons as he proved to be a very effective player for the Gunners alongside the tenacious Patrick Vieira. Edu kept things simple but could pick out a pass and was quick in assisting counterattacks for the Gunners. He was also an important member of the "Invincibles" of 2003-04 but despite seeming to have established himself as an important player for Arsenal, he left the club in 2005, though with the emergence of Gilberto Silva it did not seem to be a big loss at that time.

7. Nwankwo Kanu

Nwankwo Kanu is another of Arsene Wenger's excellent signings as the Nigerian proved with many performances for the Gunners. When Nicolas Anelka left the Gunners, Wenger brought Kanu who was undergoing a tough spell with Inter Milan and though initially fans were apprehensive regarding his signing because of his languid demeanour, his cheerful smile and his performances on the pitch meant he became a sort of a cult hero for the Gunners.

His best performance has to be the 15-minute hat trick against Chelsea which still remains in Arsenal's history as one of the best hat tricks ever scored and he is still widely respected by Arsenal fans for his contribution to the Gunners. He was overshadowed by Thierry Henry, who would go on to arguably be the greatest-ever Arsenal striker, and was underrated for his football abilities. Though he was no Henry or Bergkamp, he was a very good player. Considering that he made numerous bench appearances, he was not rated as amongst the best by some, but Arsenal fans always liked the presence of Kanu on the pitch.

8. Sylvain Wiltord

Sylvain Wiltord's impressive form for Bordeaux made Arsene Wenger sign him at Arsenal in 2000 and though he did not always be a starter for the Gunners, he did prove to be a valuable squad player during his time at Highbury. Wiltord preferred to play as a centre forward but the emergence of Thierry Henry and the creativity of Dennis Bergkamp meant that Wiltord struggled to displace the strike duo.

However, Wiltord had the knack of being at the right place at the right time and scored many valuable goals for the Gunners. He is well remembered for his winner against Manchester United in 2002, which sealed the Premiership in favor of the club. He was also a member of the "Invincibles" in the 2003-04 but struggled with injuries and also, Bergkamp and Henry were in brilliant form which meant Wiltord did not get many opportunities to establish himself.

9. Kevin Campbell

It is not often that strikers are underrated but when your strike partner is Ian Wright, there is every chance that you could not be rated as high by others. Wright was arguably Arsenal's best attacking player during his time at the club before Arsene Wenger arrived and brought the likes of Nicolas Anelka and Thierry Henry to the club. Campbell emerged from the Arsenal academy and signed professional forms with George Graham's team in 1988 but he struggled to break into the team with Paul Merson and Alan Smith ahead of him.

He did stay at Arsenal despite the Gunners signing the prolific Ian Wright and he did get opportunities to play alongside Wright. Though he was often overshadowed, he did score many crucial goals for the Gunners and was appreciated by the fans for his hardworking efforts on the pitch. He made a total of 224 appearances before leaving the club to join Nottingham Forest after the arrivals of Dennis Bergkamp and John Hartson.

10. Sammy Nelson

Sammy Nelson was initially a left winger who was converted to a left-back and despite performing well for the Gunners, he was mostly the second-choice left-back with established defender Bob McNab the preferred choice. He established himself as an important player when McNab was injured but when he returned, Nelson was again second-choice left-back.

It was not until McNab left Highbury that Nelson finally established himself as the first-choice left-back. He stayed with the Gunners for 15 years making 338 appearances, playing in all three FA Cup finals between 1978 and 1980 and always performed on big occasions. He was one of the most loyal players for the Gunners and fans admired his determination and loyalty to the team. He eventually left the club after a long time with the arrival of Kenny Sansom, who would go on to be one of Arsenal's best full-backs.

11. Andy Linighan

Andy Linighan was signed by Georgre Graham in 1990 after his impressive performances for Norwich City in the previous season despite Arsenal possessing one of the strongest defensive partnerships in England in Tony Adams and Steve Bould. The tall, imposing centre-back did get opportunities to impress for the Gunners but was unable to dislodge the partnership of Adams and Bould.

However, Linighan was an excellent squad player for the Gunners and did impress in some games for Arsenal. His moment of glory came in the 1992-93 season FA Cup final against Sheffield Wednesday where he continued after breaking his nose earlier in the game and headed the winner in the 119th minute after the game stood 1-1 at the completion of 90 minutes. With the signing of Martin Keown, Linighan was further down in the pecking order but continued his stay with the club till 1997 when he moved to Crystal Palace.