If you asked any Arsenal fan just who was the most injury-prone player at the club they would no doubt agree that it is Abou Diaby.

They’d be wrong.

While the French midfielder spends more time sidelined because of injury than any of his team mates he is only second when it comes to the number of injuries he has picked up.

The winner?

Theo Walcott.

According to data that has been compiled Theo Walcott has suffered 42 injuries compared to Diaby’s 40.

The research showed that Arsenal have suffered 37.9% more injuries than Liverpool (30.2% more than Chelsea, 33.2% more than Manchester City) and are the clear leaders compared to every other Premier League club over the past 12 years. Since the move to the Emirates this figure rises to 42% when compared to Liverpool.

In fact, Arsenal average just over 72 injuries per season with a total of 892 over the past 12 years. Chelsea, for comparison, have suffered 623, Liverpool 554 and Manchester City 596. The second placed team, Manchester United 795 with Tottenham in third place with 789.

Ankle and foot injuries account for 22.1% of injuries suffered but with knee and hamstrings added into the mix, this total rises to 50%.

The top ten injury-prone players at Arsenal over the past 12 years:

  1. Theo Walcott – 42 (4.7 per season)
  2. Abou Diaby – 40 (4)
  3. Tomas Rosicky – 36 (4.5)
  4. Fredrik Ljungberg – 29 (5.8)
  5. Kieran Gibbs – 27 (3.9)
  6. Robin van Persie – 27 (3.4)
  7. Thomas Vermaelen – 24 (4)
  8. Johan Djourou – 23 (3.8)
  9. Bacary Sagna – 21 (3)
  10. Thierry Henry – 21 (3.5)

Of the current squad of players it is actually Laurent Koscielny who leads the way in ‘injuries per season’ with five.

The research shows that Arsenal suffer more injuries in nearly every month of the season as well as in every season when compared to their rivals.

[source]