Arsenal FC is a premier league football club based in Holloway, London. Formed a staggering 130 years ago in 1886 the team is still going strong today. Fans of the club often call the team ‘the gunners’.

Arsenal’s home ground is the Emirates Stadium and it holds an impressive capacity of 60,260. The owner of the club is Arsenal Holdings plc and the current chairman Sir Chips Keswick . Arsene Wenger manages of the team and has been since 1996. That’s quite some longevity for a premier league manager, especially considered the team has frustrated fans in recent years.

Achievements
– 14 FA Community Shields
– 12 FA Cups, the most by any English side.
– 13 League titles
– 2 League Cups
– 1 UEFA cup
– Inter-Cities Fair Cup

History
The club was formed in 1886 by workers at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich. It was referred to as Dial Square and later renamed to Woolwich Arsenal once it became a limited company seven years later. It was the first southern member of the Football League in 1893.

When the club was faced with financial problems due to low attendances in matches, Henry Norris took charge.  After a long spell in the first division the team, followed by suffering relegation in 1913 , Arsenal moved to a new stadium in Highbury, North London. The club was then later renamed to Arsenal Football Club. Arsenal were promoted back into top flight football the following year, remaining there ever since!

The appointment of Arsene Wenger in 1996 as new manager made a great impact to the Club’s success in the late 90s and also into the 21st century. Through the guidance of the new manager, the club made history by winning the premier league in 2003-04 without losing a single match. This led to them being nicknamed the Invincibles.

In Wenger’s first eleven seasons, the club finished in first or second place in the league in 8 occasions. They also became the first club from London , to reach the Final of the Champions League in 2005-2006, only to be beaten 2-1 by FC Barcelona.

Notable Records And Statistics
Over the history of the club, there certainly hasn’t been a lack of achievement at the club. Arsenal have had many great players who have made records and won major accolades.

The record goalscorer for arsenal is Thierry Henry, with an amazing 228 strikes in all the games he played . The record appearances made by a goalkeeper is currently held by David Seaman (who also captained England during his career), 564 appearances. David O’Leary has made the most appearances for Arsenal, with 722 in total.

Players
First-team Squad
– Kieran Gibbs, DF
– Per Mertesacker, DF ( Vice-captain )
– Gabriel, DF
– Laurent Koscielny, DF
– Tomas Rosicky, MF
– Mikel Arteta, MF (Captain )
– Jack Wilshere, MF
– Mesut Ozil, MF
– Olivier Giroud, FW
– Theo Walcott, FW
– Alexis Sanchez, FW
– Francis Coquelin, MF
– Petr Cech, GK
– David Ospina, GK
– Aaron Ramsey, MF
– There is also the inclusion of Mohamed Elneny, MF in the January 2016 transfer window.
– Alex Iwobi was also promoted from the academy in the 2015-2016 season due to his spectacular performances.

A notable player from the past is Robin van Persie , who scored thirty goals in the premier league in the 2011-12 season.

2015-16 Season
Arsenal’s FC performance in the 2015-16 season hasn’t been satisfactory to the fans and many of them have voiced their concerns over the management of the team in recent matches. The Arsenal Chief Executive , Ivan Gazidis has promised frustrated fans an end of season review. This review will likely be very important for the club’s success in future.

Current odds (6th May 2016) to win the Premier League 2016/17 – 6-1 (joint second favourites)