# 2008–09 Arsenal F.C. season

The 2008–09 season was Arsenal Football Club's 17th consecutive season in the Premier League and their 83rd consecutive season in the top flight of English football. This season Arsenal participated in the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and the UEFA Champions League. This was the first time since 1986 that Arsenal went four consecutive seasons without winning a trophy.

## Events

* 5 May: Midfielder Mathieu Flamini agrees to a four-year contract with Italian club Milan, meaning he will leave Arsenal on a free transfer on 1 July.
* 23 May: Physiotherapist Neal Reynolds agrees to join Arsenal from Norwich City.
* 28 May: Arsenal are granted a work permit for striker Carlos Vela, who spent the 2007–08 season on loan to Osasuna.
* 3 June: Goalkeeper Jens Lehmann joins VfB Stuttgart on a free transfer.
* 4 June: Defender Bacary Sagna signs a new "long-term" contract with Arsenal.
* 9 June: Central defender/defensive midfielder Alex Song agrees to a new "long-term" contract with Arsenal.
* 9 June: Physiotherapist Gary Lewin agrees to leave Arsenal to become full-time Head of Physiotherapy for England on 1 August.
* 13 June: Midfielder Aaron Ramsey signs for Arsenal from Cardiff City.
* 20 June: Defender Gaël Clichy signs a new "long-term" contract with Arsenal.
* 11 July: Attacking midfielder Samir Nasri signs for Arsenal from Marseille.
* 16 July: Attacking midfielder Alexander Hleb signs for Barcelona from Arsenal.
* 17 July: Defensive midfielder Gilberto Silva signs for Panathinaikos from Arsenal.
* 30 July: Arsenal sign midfielder Amaury Bischoff from Werder Bremen.
* 9 August: Arsenal retains their Amsterdam Tournament Title after drawing 1–1 with Sevilla.
* 13 August: Arsenal start their European campaign by defeating Twente in the first leg of their 2008–09 UEFA Champions League Third round qualifying round.
* 16 August: Defender Justin Hoyte signs for Middlesbrough from Arsenal.
* 18 August: Striker Emmanuel Adebayor signs a new "long-term" contract with Arsenal.
* 20 August: Arsenal sign Defender Mikaël Silvestre from Manchester United. Silvestre becomes the first Manchester United player to join Arsenal since Brian Kidd in 1974 .
* 23 August: Arsenal suffer their first defeat of the season against Fulham by losing 1–0 from a Brede Hangeland goal.
* 27 August: Arsenal qualify for the group stages of the Champions League by defeating Twente 4–0 at the Emirates Stadium and 6–0 on aggregate.
* 1 September: Defender Kieran Gibbs signs a new contract with Arsenal.
* 22 September: Swiss defender Johan Djourou signs a new "long-term" contract with Arsenal.
* 27 September: Arsenal's second defeat at the Emirates Stadium was a 2–1 loss to Hull City who came back from an Arsenal lead early in the second half.
* 21 November: Sky Sports News and the BBC report that William Gallas has been stripped of the Arsenal captaincy following a verbal outburst against other players, however Arsenal FC refuse to comment.
* 24 November: Arsène Wenger announces that Cesc Fàbregas is the new permanent Arsenal captain, thus confirming reports that William Gallas has been stripped of the captaincy.
* 23 December: Arsenal captain Cesc Fàbregas is ruled out for 4 months with a ligament injury after colliding with fellow Spaniard Xabi Alonso in a 1–1 draw with Liverpool.
* 5 January: Midfielder Jack Wilshere signs a professional contract with Arsenal.
* 3 February: After protracted transfer negotiations, Arsenal announce the signing of Russian international Andrey Arshavin for an undisclosed fee.
* 8 February: 350 days after suffering a broken leg and open dislocation to his ankle, striker Eduardo is named on the substitutes bench in Arsenal's 0–0 draw against rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
* 16 February: Striker Eduardo makes his first start in nearly a year in Arsenal's fourth round replay against Cardiff. He scores twice before being substituted in the 67th minute in a 4–0 win.
* 11 March: Arsenal progress to the quarter-finals of the Champions League after beating Roma 7–6 on penalties after the tie was level at 1–1 after two legs.
* 14 March: Andrey Arshavin scores his first goal for Arsenal in the club's 4–0 Premier League victory over Blackburn Rovers.
* 18 April: Amid various injuries in defence, Arsenal are knocked out of the FA Cup in a 2–1 defeat to Chelsea at Wembley Stadium in the semi-finals.
* 21 April: 4 goals from man of the match Andrey Arshavin dents Liverpool's Premier League title hopes. The match at Anfield ends in a 4–4 draw.
* 5 May: Arsenal are knocked out of the UEFA Champions League, losing 4–1 on aggregate to defending champions, Manchester United.
* 8 May: Striker Theo Walcott signs a new "long-term" contract with Arsenal.
* 8 May: Striker Nicklas Bendtner is fined for "unacceptable" behaviour following nightclub disrepute after the Manchester United game. Bendtner apologised for his actions shortly afterward.

## Players
### Squad information

| N | Pos. | Name | Age | EU | Since | App | Goals | Ends | Transfer fee |
| 1 | GK | Manuel Almunia | 32 | EU | 2004 | 125 | 0 | undisclosed | £0.5m |
| 3 | DF | Bacary Sagna | 26 | EU | 2007 | 89 | 1 | 2014 | £7.5m |
| 5 | DF | Kolo Touré (VC) | 28 | Non-EU | 2002 (Winter) | 326 | 14 | undisclosed | £0.15m |
| 10 | DF | William Gallas | 31 | EU | 2006 | 109 | 13 | undisclosed | Part exchange with A. Cole+£5m |
| 22 | DF | Gaël Clichy | 23 | EU | 2003 | 187 | 1 | 2012 | £0.25m |
| 15 | MF | Denílson Pereira Neves | 21 | Non-EU | 2006 | 93 | 5 | undisclosed | £3.4m |
| 4 | MF | Cesc Fàbregas (captain) | 22 | EU | 2003 | 231 | 29 | 2014 | Free |
| 17 | DF | Alex Song | 21 | EU | 2005 | 78 | 3 | undisclosed | £1.0m |
| 8 | MF | Samir Nasri | 21 | EU | 2008 | 44 | 7 | undisclosed | £12m |
| 25 | FW | Emmanuel Adebayor | 25 | Non-EU | 2006 (Winter) | 142 | 62 | undisclosed | £3m |
| 11 | FW | Robin van Persie | 25 | EU | 2004 | 177 | 63 | 2011 | £2.75m |
| 26 | FW | Nicklas Bendtner | 21 | EU | 2004 | 93 | 23 | 2012 | Youth system |
| 27 | MF | Emmanuel Eboué | 25 | Non-EU | 2005 (Winter) | 147 | 6 | undisclosed | £1.54m |
| 2 | MF | Abou Diaby | 23 | EU | 2006 (Winter) | 98 | 10 | undisclosed | £2m |
| 14 | FW | Theo Walcott | 20 | EU | 2006 (Winter) | 106 | 14 | undisclosed | £9.1m |
| 20 | DF | Johan Djourou | 22 | Non-EU | 2003 | 77 | 0 | undisclosed | Youth system |
| 12 | FW | Carlos Vela | 20 | Non-EU | 2005 | 29 | 6 | 2010 | £0.5m |
| 18 | DF | Mikaël Silvestre | 31 | EU | 2008 | 23 | 2 | 2010 | £0.75m |
| 16 | MF | Aaron Ramsey | 18 | EU | 2008 | 22 | 1 | undisclosed | £4.8m |
| 40 | DF | Kieran Gibbs | 19 | EU | 2007 | 23 | 0 | undisclosed | Youth system |
| 21 | GK | Łukasz Fabiański | 24 | EU | 2007 | 26 | 0 | undisclosed | £2.0m |
| 23 | MF | Andrey Arshavin | 27 | Non-EU | 2009 (Winter) | 15 | 6 | 2012 | £15.0m |
| 19 | MF | Jack Wilshere | 17 | EU | 2008 | 8 | 1 | undisclosed | Youth system |
| 9 | FW | Eduardo da Silva | 26 | Non-EU | 2007 | 35 | 15 | 2011 | £7.5m |
| 28 | MF | Amaury Bischoff | 22 | EU | 2008 | 4 | 0 | undisclosed | Free |
| 24 | GK | Vito Mannone | 21 | EU | 2005 | 1 | 0 | undisclosed | £0.35m |
| 7 | MF | Tomáš Rosický | 28 | EU | 2006 | 61 | 13 | undisclosed | £6.8m |
* Last updated: 24 May
* Source: Arsenal FC and footballdatabase.com (for EU passport, country as international player, contract ending and transfer fee)
* Ordered by Starting 11, then appearances in this season.

### Transfers
#### In

| # | Position | Player | Transferred from | Fee | Date | Team |
| 16 | MF | Aaron Ramsey | Cardiff City | £4,800,000 | 13 June 2008 | First-team |
| 8 | MF | Samir Nasri | Marseille | £12,000,000 | 11 July 2008 | First-team |
| 28 | MF | Amaury Bischoff | Werder Bremen | Free transfer | 30 July 2008 | First-team |
| 18 | DF | Mikaël Silvestre | Manchester United | £750,000 | 20 August 2008 | First-team |
| 23 | MF | Andrey Arshavin | Zenit Saint Petersburg | £15,000,000 | 3 February 2009 | First-team |
Total spending: £32,550,000

#### Out

| # | Position | Player | Transferred to | Fee | Date |
| 1 | GK | Jens Lehmann | VfB Stuttgart | Free transfer (Released) | 3 June 2008 |
| 16 | MF | Mathieu Flamini | Milan | Free transfer (Released) | 1 July 2008 |
| 13 | MF | Alexander Hleb | Barcelona | £11,900,000 | 16 July 2008 |
| 19 | MF | Gilberto Silva | Panathinaikos | £1,000,000 | 17 July 2008 |
| 31 | DF | Justin Hoyte | Middlesbrough | £3,000,000 | 16 August 2008 |
Total income: £15,900,000

#### Loan out

| Squad # | Position | Player | Loaned to | Date | Loan expires |
| | DF | Kerrea Gilbert | Leicester City | 11 July 2008 | End of the season |
| 6 | DF | Philippe Senderos | Milan | 26 July 2008 | End of the season |
| | MF | Nacer Barazite | Derby County | 19 August 2008 | End of the season (extended on 31 December 2008) |
| 30 | DF | Armand Traoré | Portsmouth | 21 August 2008 | End of the season |
| 50 | FW | Jay Simpson | West Bromwich Albion | 31 December 2008 | End of the season |

#### Overall transfer activity
##### Spending

£32,550,000

##### Income

£15,900,000

##### Net expenditure

£16,650,000

### Squad stats

| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Premier League | Premier League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Champions League | Champions League |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| 1 | GK | ESP | Manuel Almunia | 44 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| 2 | MF | FRA | Abou Diaby | 36 | 4 | 16+8 | 3 | 4+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5+2 | 1 |
| 3 | DF | FRA | Bacary Sagna | 49 | 0 | 34+1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| 4 | MF | ESP | Cesc Fàbregas | 33 | 3 | 22 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | CIV | Kolo Touré | 41 | 1 | 26+3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | CZE | Tomáš Rosický | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | FRA | Samir Nasri | 44 | 7 | 28+1 | 6 | 3+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 |
| 9 | FW | CRO | Eduardo | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 |
| 10 | DF | FRA | William Gallas | 36 | 6 | 23 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 3 |
| 11 | FW | NED | Robin van Persie | 44 | 20 | 24+4 | 11 | 4+2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 5 |
| 12 | FW | MEX | Carlos Vela | 29 | 6 | 2+12 | 1 | 3+1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2+6 | 0 |
| 14 | FW | ENG | Theo Walcott | 35 | 6 | 16+6 | 2 | 2+1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9+1 | 3 |
| 15 | MF | BRA | Denílson | 51 | 3 | 36+1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11+1 | 0 |
| 16 | MF | WAL | Aaron Ramsey | 22 | 1 | 1+8 | 0 | 2+2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4+2 | 1 |
| 17 | DM | CMR | Alex Song | 48 | 2 | 23+8 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8+3 | 1 |
| 18 | DF | FRA | Mikaël Silvestre | 23 | 2 | 12+2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 19 | MF | ENG | Jack Wilshere | 8 | 1 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0+2 | 0 |
| 20 | DF | SUI | Johan Djourou | 29 | 0 | 13+2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6+2 | 0 |
| 21 | GK | POL | Łukasz Fabiański | 18 | 0 | 5+1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 |
| 22 | DF | FRA | Gaël Clichy | 41 | 1 | 30+1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| 23 | MF | RUS | Andrey Arshavin | 15 | 6 | 12 | 6 | 2+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | GK | ITA | Vito Mannone | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | FW | TOG | Emmanuel Adebayor | 37 | 16 | 21+5 | 10 | 1+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8+1 | 6 |
| 26 | FW | DEN | Nicklas Bendtner | 50 | 15 | 17+14 | 9 | 3+2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5+7 | 2 |
| 27 | DF | CIV | Emmanuel Eboué | 44 | 4 | 17+11 | 3 | 4+1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6+5 | 0 |
| 28 | MF | POR | Amaury Bischoff | 4 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | MF | FRA | Francis Coquelin [R] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | FW | POR | Rui Fonte [R] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | DF | ENG | Kieran Gibbs | 21 | 0 | 6+2 | 0 | 5+1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3+1 | 0 |
| 41 | DF | ENG | Gavin Hoyte [R] | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 42 | MF | ENG | Henri Lansbury [R] | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 43 | MF | ESP | Fran Mérida [R] | 5 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 47 | MF | ENG | Mark Randall [R] | 6 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 |
| 49 | DF | ENG | Paul Rodgers [R] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 50 | FW | ENG | Jay Simpson [R] [L] | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1+2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Source: Arsenal F.C.

### Disciplinary record

| N | Pos. | Name | | | |
| 11 | FW | v. Persie | 9 | 0 | 1 |
| 25 | FW | Adebayor | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| 27 | MF | Eboué | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 22 | DF | Clichy | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | DF | Song | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | Nasri | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | MF | Fàbregas | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | MF | Diaby | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | DF | Gallas | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | Sagna | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | MF | Denílson | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | FW | Bendtner | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | Touré | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | DF | Gibbs | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | DF | Djourou | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | MF | Ramsey | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | MF | Arshavin | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 47 | MF | Randall | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 43 | MF | Mérida | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | FW | Vela | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | DF | Silvestre | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Last updated: 24 May Source: Match reports in Competitive matches Only competitive matches = Number of bookings; = Number of sending offs after a second yellow card; = Number of sending offs by a direct red card.

### Start formations

| Qnt | Formation | Match(es) |
| 51 | 4–4–2 | 1–13, 15–29, 31–49, 52–53, 57–58, 61 |
| 8 | 4–2–3–1 | 14, 50–51, 54–56, 59–60 |
| 1 | 4–4–1–1 | 30 |

## Club
### Coaching staff

| Position | Staff |
| Manager | Arsène Wenger |
| Assistant manager | Pat Rice |
| First team coach | Boro Primorac |
| Goalkeeping coach | Gerry Peyton |
| Physiotherapist | Colin Lewin |
| Fitness coach | Tony Colbert |
| Chief scout | Steve Rowley |
| Kit manager | Vic Akers |
Source: Arsenal FC

### Kit

Supplier: Nike / Sponsor: Fly Emirates
| Home | Home alt. | Away | Goalkeeper 1 | Goalkeeper alt. | Goalkeeper 2 | Goalkeeper 3 | Goalkeeper alt. |

### Kit information

The completely new set of Arsenal kit was launched.
* Home: The home kit was rather controversial, as Nike ditched the white sleeves that the club was well known for. The shirt has a white wide stripe on each sleeve, flanked by two dark red, narrower stripes. It has a red V-neck collar which is the same colour as the primary shirt colour. The shirt is complemented by white shorts with a dark-red trim, and white socks with a red horizontal stripe. Red socks with white horizontal stripe were used in some away games avoid clash. Arsenal revealed that the kit would be used for two seasons.
* Away: The away kit harps back to the glory days of the late 1980s which gave the strip a modern touch, where the shirts are yellow with navy sleeves and a red trim. The shorts are navy with red trim and the socks are yellow and blue. It featured red trimmings on the side of the strip.
* Keeper: The three goalkeeper kits, which were all based on Nike's new template, which in turn featured one conspicuous swirl on the kit. The main kit was grey, but the second kit was green/navy and the third kit black was available, should they be required.

### Other information

| Chairman | Peter Hill-Wood |
| Ground (capacity and dimensions) | Emirates Stadium (60,432 / 105x68 meters) |
Updated to match played 15 June Source: Arsenal FC and www.footballgroundguide.com

## Competitions
### Overall

| Competition | Started round | Final position / round | First match | Last match |
| Premier League | — | 4 | 16 August | 24 May |
| Champions League | Third qualifying round | Semi-finals | 13 August | 5 May |
| Football League Cup | 3rd round | Quarter finals | 23 September | 2 December |
| FA Cup | 3rd round | Semi-finals | 3 January | 18 April |
Updated to match played 24 May Source: Competitions

### Premier League
#### Final league table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 2 | Liverpool | 38 | 25 | 11 | 2 | 77 | 27 | +50 | 86 | Qualification for the Champions League group stage |
| 3 | Chelsea | 38 | 25 | 8 | 5 | 68 | 24 | +44 | 83 | Qualification for the Champions League group stage |
| 4 | Arsenal | 38 | 20 | 12 | 6 | 68 | 37 | +31 | 72 | Qualification for the Champions League play-off round |
| 5 | Everton | 38 | 17 | 12 | 9 | 55 | 37 | +18 | 63 | Qualification for the Europa League play-off round |
| 6 | Aston Villa | 38 | 17 | 11 | 10 | 54 | 48 | +6 | 62 | Qualification for the Europa League play-off round |
* 1 2 Since both finalists of the FA Cup (Chelsea and Everton) and the League Cup winners (Manchester United) qualified for the European competitions based on their league position, the sixth-placed team (Aston Villa) received a berth in the Europa League play-off round and the seventh-placed team (Fulham) received a berth in the Europa League third qualifying round.

#### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Last updated: 24 May. Source: Premier League

#### Results by round

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 |
| Ground | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H |
| Result | W | L | W | W | W | L | D | W | W | D | L | W | L | L | W | W | D | D | D | W | W | W | D | D | D | D | D | W | W | W | W | W | D | W | W | L | D | W |
| Position | 8 | 14 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |

#### Matches
### UEFA Champions League
#### Group stage

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Porto | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 8 | +1 | 12 | Advance to knockout phase |
| 2 | Arsenal | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 5 | +6 | 11 | Advance to knockout phase |
| 3 | Dynamo Kyiv | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 8 | Transfer to UEFA Cup |
| 4 | Fenerbahçe | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 11 | −7 | 2 | |

#### Knockout phase
##### Semi-finals
### FA Cup
### Football League Cup
## Pre-season

Last updated: 9 August Source: Arsenal FC