10. William Gallas

William arrived at Arsenal in the summer of 2006 as part of the deal which took Ashley Cole to Chelsea and, within a year, he was named as Club captain in the wake of Thierry Henry's departure. William's appointment surprised some but his first season as skipper had more highs than lows.

The Frenchman was a driving force as Arsenal opened up a five-point lead in the Premier League but the team fell short in the final stages of the title race. He expects this season to be different. "You want to be the best captain and give good advice to your players, but sometimes you can make mistakes as well," he said. "This season I know what I¹m going to do and I know I am ready to change my way of speaking to the players."

After an injury-hit first season with the Club, William made a major contribution in his second year. His pace, power and football intelligence makes him a valuable asset at the heart of defence and, in a young side, William's experience is priceless.

He also has a happy knack of nicking vital goals. William scored four times last term and all of them came at crucial moments - a last-gasp equaliser against Manchester United, a deadlock-breaker against Wigan, the winner against Chelsea on the pitch and the volley which ignited a famous comeback at Bolton. William will be hoping for more of the same this season.

 

MY YEAR

May

William missed the season’s final month with the medial knee ligament damage he sustained against Villarreal in April.

April

William started the month in fine form, completing 90 minutes against Man City but was forced off after 42 minutes of the month’s second game – against Villarreal on April 7 – with medial knee ligament damage. Sadly for him, the injury would cost the Frenchman the rest of his season. "Gallas is a quick recoverer but we think he will be short to come back before the end of the season," said Wenger. "It’s a big, big blow but that’s where the squad come in.”

March

William completed four of March’s six fixtures, with his undoubted highlight coming against Hull City in the FA Cup Quarter Final. With the scores locked at 1-1 after 84 minutes, a replay looked likely. However, the Frenchman was on hand to nod Andrey Arshavin’s free-kick into the unguarded net, booking the Gunners’ place in the Semi Final against Chelsea at Wembley.

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