Arsenal favourite Thierry Henry has insisted Nicolas Anelka was one of the best strikers in the Premier League, though he does not get a mention when compared to other greats. The former France international started his Premier League career with Arsenal in 1997 and he thereafter pursued his trade for a number of English clubs including Liverpool, Manchester City, Bolton Wanderers, Chelsea and West Bromwich Albion.
Speaking about Anelka on Sky Sports, Henry said: “We all know that he terrorised teams when he first arrived in England. He, for me – people do not mention him as they should mention him. He was one of the best strikers we have ever seen in this league. He won it at Arsenal at a young age, when it was very difficult. You had to battle away from home all the time. He did it at Chelsea, he won the league there.”
Anelka was obviously not a fan favourite during his initial period with the Gunners and this eventually pushed him for a big-money move to Real Madrid which did not suit him. He followed to ply his trade for Paris Saint-Germain among several other clubs before landing at Chelsea, where he picked up his second Premier League winner’s medal in 2008 - ten years after his first with the Gunners.
A number of Premier League greats including Ryan Giggs, John Terry and Steven Gerrard have regularly been mentioned in the debates but Anelka has probably been ignored out of such discussions owing to his constant swapping of clubs. The 39-year-old plyed his trade for six different clubs during his time in the Premier League and his lengthiest spell was with Chelsea where he spent four seasons between 2008 and 2012. Aside from his league title, Anelka won two FA Cups during his time at Stamford Bridge.