Alexandre Lacazette scored Arsenal’s fourth goal in their 4-1 thrashing of Crystal Palace on Saturday.
The goal gave the Gunners a 4-0 lead after only 22 minutes, with fellow countryman Laurent Koscielny also on the scoresheet.
Since his arrival in during the 1996-97 Premier League season, Arsène Wenger has been a keen admirer of French players. Lacazette became the 32nd fellow countryman the manager brought to North London during his reign, when he signed the striker this past summer.
Before Wenger had even arrived at Arsenal it is believed that both French midfielders Patrick Vieira and Rémi Garde were purchased under the incoming manager’s influence before he was officially appointed on 1 October 1996. Patrick Vieira became the first Frenchman to score for Arsenal in the Premier League during their 2-2 draw at home to Derby County on 7 December 1996.
Vieira captained Arsenal to Premier League successes whilst Anelka was important during their 1997-98 double, and later Thierry Henry would join the club and go on to become a club and league legend, as well as record goalscorer.
The below table highlights all 500 Premier League goals scored for Arsenal by French players:
| Player | Goals |
|---|---|
| Thierry Henry | 175 |
| Olivier Giroud | 73 |
| Robert Pirès | 62 |
| Sylvain Wiltord | 31 |
| Patrick Vieira | 28 |
| Nicolas Anelka | 23 |
| Laurent Koscielny | 18 |
| Sami Nasri | 18 |
| Abou Diaby | 14 |
| William Gallas | 12 |
| Mathieu Flamini | 10 |
| Alexandre Lacazette | 9 |
| Emmanue Petit | 9 |
| Bacary Sagna | 4 |
| Gilles Grimandi | 4 |
| Pascal Cygan | 3 |
| Mikaël Silvestre | 3 |
| Jérémie Aliadière | 1 |
| Gaël Clichy | 1 |
| Mathieu Debuchy | 1 |
| Sébastien Squillaci | 1 |