Arsenal have two players in the top five for the most substitute Premier League goals of all time, Olivier Giroud and Nwankwo Kanu.
Giroud has been making a name for himself with goals from the bench in the last couple of years, and Kanu used to do the same during his spell with the Gunners between 1999 and 2004. Both players made the Daily Star‘s list of the top five most substitute goals in Premier League history, as put together below:
- Jermain Defoe – 23 goals
- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Nwankwo Kanu – 17 goals
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- Daniel Strurridge – 15 goals
- Peter Crouch and Olivier Giroud – 14 goals
Last season, Giroud’s starting place was given to Alexis Sanchez as the Chilean found a new position up front for the Gunners. Giroud was substituted in 18 times as a result, and managed to get six goals from the bench for Arsenal in the league, which would have got him almost half-way to the top five list on its own.
Given the signing of Alexandre Lacazette, Olivier has continued to find himself on the bench for the Gunners in the league (although he has been starting in the cups and in Europe).
So if he can keep that good record going, he’ll find himself even higher up the list before long. Not to mention the obvious benefits to Arsenal having such a threatening player coming in at a time when he can win them games.