Picture: Getty Images – Credit: METRO.co.uk/myleo

By many people’s estimation, Tony Adams (who turned 50 today) is the greatest Arsenal defender of all time. He’s certainly the only one to have a statue outside the Emirates Stadium.

So replacing him was never going to be easy – arguably impossible. But some have come closer than others, while a few have come nowhere near.

We’ve ranked the 15 centre-backs who have been signed since Adams retired at the end of the 2001/02 season*, putting them last to first based on how closely they’ve managed to emulate Arsenal’s greatest ever defender…

15. Sebastien Squillaci – 2010-2013

With a name like Sebastien Squillaci he was probably always destined to be the focus of ridicule. However when he arrived from Sevilla he did so with a solid reputation and appeared the perfect addition to the Gunners’ back line. But things turned sour. Very sour. A series of defensive errors and zero sign that he was blessed with any pace or ability saw his reputation tarnished week-in week-out before he departed as a laughing stock.




14. Pascal Cygan – 2002-2006

Like Kolo Toure, Cygan was signed the summer Adams left. Only the Frenchman never progressed from being a fringe player and when he did get involved is best remembered for making calamitous mistakes.

13. Ignasi Miquel – 2010-2014

Ignasi who? To be fair to the Spaniard he only made five Premier League appearances over his four years as an Arsenal player. He failed to grasp his chances though, was sent on loan to Leicester and then eventually sold to Norwich.

12. Johan Djourou – 2004-2014

The Swiss spent 10 years at Arsenal, yet is completely forgettable. Quite an achievement. Not awful, but not very good either. It’s why over his decade at the club in only two seasons did he play in more than half of the club’s Premier League games.

Johan Djourou (Getty)

11. Mikael Silvestre – 2008-2010

Arsenal have made some weird signings over the years but this one takes some beating. Despite spending nearly a decade hiding in the shadows at Old Trafford, he did enough to catch Arsene Wenger’s attention. He continued his mastery of being on the periphery just as well at the Emirates, literally doing nothing of note.

Mikael Silvestre (Getty)

10. Calum Chambers – 2014-present

Signed from Southampton for £16m at the age of 19, Chambers was billed as the potential next Tony Adams. Only he seems to have hardly improved in the two years since his arrival and risks fading into the background entirely.

9. Rob Holding – 2016-present

Potentially the next Tony Adams – or potentially another Calumn Chambers. Only time will tell.

Holding and Chambers could be the future (Getty)

8. Philippe Senderos – 2003-2010

Senderos’s career seemed to go in reverse – he started strongly in an Arsenal shirt and then got progressively worse. For a few seasons he was a useful option and he played an integral role in Arsenal getting to the 2006 Champions League final. But there was something about his face that meant when he made a mistake it looked twice as bad than if someone else had done it. It saw him earn the nickname ‘Ponderos’.

7. Gabriel Paulista – 2016-present

Defenders don’t come much gruffer than Gabriel and the Arsenal fans love him for it. What he lacks in beauty on the ball he makes up for in satisfyingly heavy tackles.

6. William Gallas – 2006-2010

A genuine quality defender. But forget about that. He’s the man who lost the plot in Birmingham and with it derailed Arsenal’s hopes of winning the title in 2007/08. In a heated match, the Frenchman gave away a penalty and subsequently went into meltdown. He kicked an advertising hoarding, stood on the half-way line rather than the edge of the box for the penalty and then refused to go to the changing room after the match. Not exactly what you want to see from your captain.

Gallas lost the plot at St Andrews (Getty)

5. Per Mertesacker – 2011-present



The big German’s signing in 2011 had something of the air of panic about it, coming on transfer deadline day days after an 8-2 drubbing dished out by Manchester United. However Mertesacker has proved a sensible accusation and has been a regular at the back ever since. His pace is appalling but he makes up for it with excellent positioning and a well-timed tackle.

Per Mertesacker (Getty)

4. Shkodran Mustafi – 2016-present

He’s only played three Premier League games for Arsenal yet his promising partnership with Laurent Koscielny has seen them dubbed ‘Kostafi’. While the nickname is awful, the partnership looks anything but. However it’s early days – they’re no Keown and Adams yet.

QUIZ: How well do you know Arsenal legend Tony Adams?

3. Thomas Vermaelen – 2009-2014

Vermaelen was a rock at the back for Arsenal, only his body wasn’t quite so solid. Injuries that marred his final season and miss almost the entirety of another were a blot on what were consistently high levels of performance. You don’t leave for Barcelona unless you’re pretty decent.

Thomas Vermaelen (Getty)

2. Laurent Koscielny – 2010-present

The French centre-back has been consistently excellent for the Gunners. His only real problem has been finding a partner to match his levels. Since his arrival from Lorient in 2010 he’s been a consistent presence in the side with his rare absences felt more keenly than any other in the backline.

Koscielny has most been playing alongside Mustafi this season (Getty)

1. Kolo Toure – 2002-2009

Sometimes overshadowed by brother Yaya, Kolo’s contribution to Arsenal was huge. Signed the summer Adams left he would be an integral part of the Invincibles side that won the 2003/04 Premier League title. He missed just one match in that campaign. He also won two FA Cup finals and was part of the side that nearly lifted the Champions League. Having already cemented his place as a club favourite during his time at Arsenal, his legend only grew when a story emerged earlier this year about his trial. Apparently keen to impress, Kolo went flying in on the club’s two most important assets – Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp. Not finished there, the Ivorian than took out Arsene Wenger with a two-footed challenge as well! Incredibly he was still offered a contract by Arsenal – it turned out to be an excellent move.

Kolo Toure – Invincible! (Getty)

* Players included had to have played more than five games or be in the current squad

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