Richard Wright was signed as the long-term replacement for club stalwart David Seaman in July 2001, and his five year contract was a clear sign of faith from Arsene Wenger. The fee was undisclosed but has been claimed to be anywhere from £2million to £6million, although the former seems more likely given Wright's performances. Wright had made 355 appearances for former club Ipswich, playing a huge role in their promotion to the Premier League in the 1999/2000 season. An injury to Seaman gave the goalkeeper an extended run in the side but things soon went downhill. He punched the ball into his own net in a defeat to Charlton Athletic before getting injured in a Champions League match and falling behind youth goalkeeper Stuart Taylor in the pecking order. He played in the FA Cup for the remainder of the season and helped Arsenal to the final, where he was replaced by David Seaman for the 2-0 victory over Chelsea. Wright has led a bit of a nomadic career since leaving Arsenal, spending five seasons with Everton before playing for numerous clubs including: West Ham, Southampton, Sheffield United, Ipswich (twice) and Manchester City where he is currently third choice goalkeeper and goalkeeper coach.
