Emmanuel Adebayor

‘Adebayor, Adebayor… give him the ball, and he will score…’When Emmanuel Adebayor was in his pomp at Emirates Stadium, that song rang out regularly. It was of course adapted after he left for Manchester City in the summer of 2009 but, for a while at least, ‘Ade’ was a fans’ favourite.And no wonder. He shouldered an immense burden during his most productive campaign in 2007/08, scoring 30 goals in 40 starts and regularly carrying an Arsenal attack shorn of the departed Thierry Henry and the injured Robin van Persie and Eduardo.Those goals did not quite propel Arsenal to the title but they did come in varying shapes and sizes.

Adebayor got his fair share of headers and close-range finishes but he also had a penchant for the spectacular. Tottenham and Newcastle can vouch for that – they were the victims of three stunning Adebayor strikes which made their way into the Gunners’ Greatest 50 Goals poll in 2009.Having emerged from the shadow of Henry, it seemed Adebayor could be the fulcrum of Arsenal’s front line for years to come. It was not to be. The Togolese striker scored 16 goals in 2008/09 but his relationship with the fans soured and he left for Eastlands that summer.In total, Adebayor scored 62 goals in 142 Arsenal appearances after joining the Club from Monaco in January 2006.