William Gallas profile
Name
William Gallas
Born
August 17, 1977
Asnières, France
Position
Defender
Squad Number
10
Previous Club(s)
Caen
Marseille
Chelsea
Joined Arsenal
August 31, 2006
Arsenal Debut
Middlesbrough (h)
Premier League
September 09, 2006
Drew 1-1
First Arsenal Goal
Sheffield United (h)
Premier League
September 23, 2006
Won 3-0
William Gallas emerged from a rollercoaster 2008/09 campaign in perhaps the best form of his Arsenal career.
The central defender, Arsenal’s oldest outfield player, had officially captained the side since the summer of 2007. However, after some comments attributed to Gallas in the French media, Arsène Wenger decided to hand the armband to Cesc Fabregas.
But far from being shaken by the decision, William pressed on and turned in some eye-catching displays before a medial knee ligament injury in April cut short his season.
His impressive response to losing the captaincy struck a chord with Wenger, who signed his compatriot from Chelsea as part of the deal which took Ashley Cole to Stamford Bridge in 2006.
"I have said many times that after a major incident he has responded like a real professional,” the manager said. “He has dealt well with the situation and that is what we want. I feel it was certainly a big blow to him, but he has shown his mental strength, and [that’s] what I respect a lot.”
Most encouraging for Arsenal fans will be William’s burgeoning partnership with summer signing Thomas Vermaelen. The Gunners’ attacking stars might hog the limelight at times this season but their defensive foundations will be just as important.
MY YEAR
February
Gallas started Arsenal's first two February fixtures but missed the rest of the moth with a calf injury.
January
William started in six of Arsenal's seven January fixtures. He was rested for the FA Cup trip to Stoke and ahead of the match manager Arsène Wenger explained why the defender needed a break. "Gallas has played all the Premier League games," he said. "Once you are in a routine, winning keeps the confidence high. Touch wood, until now he has been clear of injuries. But we have played him on the limit a few times where we didn't know before the game how long he would last. He always manages to get through the 90 minutes."
December
William played in all six of Arsenal's Premier League fixtures in December, helping the Gunners to clean sheets against Stoke City, Hull City and Aston Villa. At the start of the month Arsène Wenger explained that a new contract for Gallas is in the pipeline. "We are working on it but have nothing to announce," said the manager.
10. William Gallas - Full Arsenal Record
| Prem Lge | Europe | FA Cup | Lge Cup | C. Shield | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Ap | Gl | Ap | Gl | Ap | Gl | Ap | Gl | Ap | Gl | Ap | Gl |
| 2006-2007 | 21 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 3 |
| 2007-2008 | 31 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 4 |
| 2008-2009 | 23 | 2 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 6 |
| 2009-2010 | 26 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 4 |
| Totals | 101 | 12 | 30 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 141 | 17 |
Key:
- Prem Lge = Barclays Premier League
- C. Shield = Community Shield
- Europe = UEFA Champions League
- Ap = Appearances
- FA Cup = FA Cup sponsored by E-on
- Gl = Goals Scored
- Lge Cup = Carling Cup
William Gallas - News
-
Fri, Mar 19, 2010
Gallas injury won't affect contract talks -
Fri, Mar 19, 2010
Gallas '80 per cent' out of Barca first leg -
Thu, Mar 11, 2010
Wenger - I’ll be cautious over Gallas injury -
Thu, Mar 11, 2010
Wenger - Our desire is to keep Gallas here -
Tue, Mar 9, 2010
Gallas injury is back 'at starting point’ -
Mon, Jan 25, 2010
Wenger - Gallas has been on edge of injury -
Fri, Jan 22, 2010
Wenger - Gallas contract talks 'going well' -
Wed, Jan 6, 2010
Wenger might relax contract 'rule' for Gallas -
Mon, Dec 21, 2009
Gallas gets his fourth goal of the season -
Fri, Dec 4, 2009
Wenger - Gallas and Rosicky deals in pipeline
