Best Left Midfielder: Robert Pires
When Arsenal lost the extremely talented Marc Overmars to Barcelona in 2000, the question as to who would replace such an energetic threat on the left-wing was chief among the concerns of the Arsenal fans. Then, the club found their answer, for less than a quarter of the funds they had available from Overmars' departure. They certainly didn't pick up a quarter of the player, as the Frenchman Robert Pires became an Arsenal legend in his own right. What he lacked in Overmars' rapid pace he made up for with an incredible ability to read to game, to pick the right pass and to get forward at the right time to usually score or set up a goal for his teammates. Pires was one of the most intelligent and gifted footballers to play for the club, and it still upsets fans to recall his final game with the club only lasted twelve minutes in the Champions League final. Nevertheless, by this point Pires had proven himself to be the total package down the left-hand side of the pitch which during the early 2000s cut teams open at every opportunity. His combination with Ashley Cole would often leave opposition right-backs out of breath and contribute a significant proportion of goals during his tenure. Pires was also an Invincible member, and would win a total of two Premier League titles and three FA Cups, with him scoring the only goal in the final against Southampton in 2003. Pires would play 284 games during his six-year stay at Arsenal, scoring an impressive 84 goals and a bucket load of assists to supplement that feat, and would be rewarded for his remarkable season in 2001/2 with the Footballer Writers' Association award for best player. The cultured left-winger will always be remembered for the skill and talent that he demonstrated on a weekly basis in the Premier League (as well as
that penalty miss), as he became one of the number of legendary Frenchmen that catapulted Arsenal to the Premier League summit.
Other contenders: Marc Overmars