Five Arsenal greats strike rates after Alexis Sanchez reaches 100 Gunners games
Jamie Clark, Sports Editor | September 25, 2016
Take Alexis Sanchez top scorer tips each-way
Alexis Sanchez marked his 100th Arsenal appearance by opening the scoring in their 3-0 first-half rout of London rivals Chelsea.
Alexis Sanchez top scorer tips in the race for the Premier League Golden Boot look exploitable each-way, but how does his return of 47 in 100 Gunners games compare to modern Arsenal greats strike rates?
Never mind the suicidal defending and general horror show from Blues marker Gary Cahill, Sanchez’s delicate lob of Thibaut Courtois means it’s four goals in six league games this term.
It makes the two-time Copa America winning Chile star Sanchez, look a worthy each-way punt at 14/1 with Coral in the Premier League top scorer betting. Back him now and we’ll pay out a quarter of his current odds (7/2) if he’s among the first four in the final goal charts.
With 47 strikes is his 100 Gunners games, Sanchez’s scoring ratio is easy to identify, but it got our football experts wondering where his return ranks among the club’s best from modern times?
After a bit of digging, we’ve found five Arsenal greats strike rates to compare to that 0.47 from Sanchez. Read on to see which modern era Gunners forwards we’ve chosen…
Thierry Henry
Arsenal’s record goalscorer Henry was the logical place to start, having scooped four Premier League Golden Boots throughout a prolific career at Highbury and then the Emirates.
Netting 228 times in 376 Gunners games, France’s all-time leading marksman Henry has a rounded up ratio of 0.61. Those goals helped Arsenal to two Premier League titles and three FA Cups, plus an appearance in the 2006 Champions League final.
Should Sanchez stay with the north London club as long as living legend Henry, then he may improve his own goal average to something nearer.
Ian Wright
Henry surprisingly doesn’t have the best goals to games ratio of modern Gunners greats. That honour goes to ex-England striker and fellow current pundit Wright.
With 185 in 279 Arsenal outings, Wright effectively has a successful strike ratio of two-thirds (0.66). It is a hugely impressive return supplemented by a League Cup, two FA Cups and the Premier League title plus the old UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup.
Dennis Bergkamp
Number 10 Bergkamp had a lot more to his game than goals. Like other Dutch greats that have played for the Gunners, he added creativity in attack.
A return of 120 in 423 games (a rounded down ratio of 0.28) doesn’t look that impressive, but it’s not the full story. Four FA Cups, three Premier League titles and two Match of the Day goal of the season awards during his Arsenal career give Bergkamp his iconic status.
Emmanuel Adebayor
As Sanchez is now in his third season with the Gunners, the most salient comparison might come from a player that spent a similar length of time at the Emirates in Togo frontman Adebayor.
Scoring 62 in 142 for Arsenal before moving to Manchester City in 2009, Adebayor’s ratio is just inferior to that of Sanchez at 0.44. Pep Guardiola has been linked with doing likewise when it comes to signing Sanchez to the Etihad, having managed him at Barcelona.
Robin van Persie
And finally, once Van Persie shrugged off the injuries of his early Gunners career he became a prolific goalscorer, winning the Premier League Golden Boot in his final season at the Emirates.
With 132 in 277 Arsenal appearances, Van Persie’s ratio of 0.48 (rounded up) is just better than the current strike rate of Sanchez. If he can break the 30-goal barrier as RVP once did, then Arsene Wenger’s men stand a real chance of being in the mix for major honours.
Related
You’ll find more Premier League features over on the relevant page of Coral news.
Gunners fans, we want to hear from you! Which of the Arsenal greats strike rates impresses you the most? Let us know in the comments below, especially if you’re taking over Alexis Sanchez top scorer tips!
