In May 1997, Matthew Upson signed for Arsenal in a £2million deal from Luton Town.
His task at Highbury was a clear one, but not an easy one - usurp one of Tony Adams, Steve Bould or Martin Keown at the heart of the Gunners defence. That trio’s longevity, plus an ACL injury in 1999 didn’t help his cause.
After a series of loan spells, Upson would move on in 2003 when he joined Birmingham City and would soon earn a call-up to the England national squad. But his time at Arsenal served him well, as he played alongside some of the best players in Gunners history. Here, he runs over his greatest Arsenal team-mates for FourFourTwo.
Matthew Upson on his best Arsenal team-mates
“He had a presence and calmness greater than any other keeper I played with. He controlled his 18-yard box to a top level. David was a great talker and an all-round super bloke. You knew you were safe with him behind you.”
“As a full-back, certainly in that era, defending was number one. Lee did that as well as anyone for positioning and checking his surroundings. Plus he could also get forward and support, and he was a lovely guy on top.”
“The most competitive player that I played with. I’d be chatting with him off the pitch having a nice conversation, then he’d smash into you as soon as a training game started. Once he was on the grass he had an edge to him, and he was physically superb.”
“What a presence Tony was. He had unbelievable self-belief and owned it, whether that was in training, in the dressing room or on the pitch. He was a top captain. He had his demons and that made him vulnerable, but still a fierce leader.”
“One of the best left-backs I’ve seen. He was strong, snapped into a tackle and was one of the few players to properly take on Cristiano Ronaldo and ask him questions. Ashley had an unbelievable change of direction, which allowed him to get so tight to players – they had no time on the ball.”
“He had an unbelievable stride length, so when he went past you there was no recovery. Patrick matured and grew into his role as skipper after Tony left Arsenal, and Arsene Wenger gave him the responsibility that made him live and breathe the club. You’d walk out feeling 10-feet tall with Patrick in front of you. Players were scared to face him, and that made a huge difference.”
“Marc had ceramic brakes and could just stop like the Road Runner. He’d run at full tilt then stop within two steps. He was so powerful and dynamic. Marc would terrorise full-backs and fitted Arsenal’s 4-4-2 brilliantly.”
“One of my all-time favourite players. He had the rare mix of being technically gifted and creative, but also having a nasty competitive streak on the pitch, which I found out early on in training.”
“The main man. Thierry arrived at Arsenal as a young winger and turned into the best striker the Premier League has ever seen. He’d go quiet sometimes, then hit you with an unmatchable piece of skill or athleticism. A force every time the ball came to him. The greatest.”
“Arsene’s calm presence commanded respect. He loved players expressing themselves with free-flowing football, but also valued physical competitiveness, which gave many of his teams a great balance.”
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