Arsenal's top 5 academy graduates

#1 Ashley Cole

Ashley Cole became the world's best left-back after emerging from Arsenal's academy

It was almost impossible to decide between this man and Cesc Fabregas when it came to who should be ranked as Arsenal’s best ever academy product, but in the end, while Fabregas was a truly outstanding talent, he was only ever considered amongst the best midfielders in the world.

On the other hand, at his peak, Ashley Cole was undoubtedly the best left-back on the planet, and remains perhaps the best in the position in Premier League history.

An Arsenal fan as a child, Cole signed with the Gunners at the age of 17, and made his first team debut in the EFL Cup a year later. Just two months after that, he inked his first professional deal at the club, making his Premier League debut before moving to First Division side Crystal Palace in a loan deal until the end of the 1999-00 season.

The youngster returned to Highbury in the summer of 2000, and was then able to embed himself in the Gunners’ first team when first-choice left-back Sylvinho suffered an injury. Cole ended the season with 33 appearances in all competitions, and when the Brazilian returned to fitness, he was unable to dislodge his younger counterpart from the starting XI.

From there, Cole was practically an ever-present in Arsenal’s first team, winning two Premier League titles and three FA Cups in the process. He was a key component in Arsene Wenger’s famous ‘Invincibles’ side of 2003-04, and also established himself as England’s primary left-back in the process, having two famous duels with Cristiano Ronaldo at Euro 2004 and World Cup 2006 – arguably coming out on top on both occasions despite his team eventually losing.

By the summer of 2005, Cole was widely recognised as the best left-back in the world – but much to the chagrin of Arsenal fans, he felt that the club simply wasn’t giving his talent enough recognition.

His career plunged into controversy when he was accused – and found guilty – of making contact with London rivals Chelsea with regards to a transfer, and despite being slapped with a fine, the move eventually went through in the summer of 2006, for a fee of £5m plus French defender William Gallas.

Cole would later earn the nickname ‘Cashley’ from angry Arsenal fans, who felt he’d moved to Chelsea purely for the money – but it was hard to claim he’d made a bad decision.

After moving to Stamford Bridge, he became largely an ever-present for 8 seasons, winning the Premier League in 2009-10, the FA Cup on 4 occasions and crowning his career with a Champions League victory in 2011-12.

By the time Cole hung up his boots in the summer of 2019, he’d put together nearly 600 Premier League appearances, and had also become England’s most-capped left-back with a total of 107 games for the Three Lions. He may remain widely disliked by Arsenal fans, but it’s hard to deny that Ashley Cole is the Gunners’ best-ever academy product.