Premier League players

Mikel Arteta's stint as Arsenal manager has seen the Gunners work through a number of players, but that's something we have seen from the club ever since ...

The forward returned to his homeland in 2015 via a season in Saudi Arabia, and is now playing his club football for Ulsan Hyundai. London-born forward Rankin made his debut against Spurs in 1997 after impressing out on loan, but didn't add to the four minutes he earned as a late replacement for Nicolas Anelka. He returned to Japan in 2021 after a six-year stint in Germany with St Pauli, and won his first international caps in a full decade earlier this year. The midfielder spent the bulk of his career with [Crystal Palace](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/crystal-palace-fc), helping them win promotion to the Premier League in 2004, but had dropped into non-league by the age of 30. The Brescia-born forward carved out a solid career for himself in the Italian lower leagues, retiring in 2022 after finishing his career with Serie D side Imperia. The Leytonstone-born defender plays his club football for Beijing Guoan, having been thrown in by Arsenal in a Premier League defeat to Man Utd back in January 2012. Six minutes against Blackburn was all he managed in the 1992-93 season, though, with a move to Southampton coming not long after as he entered the twilight of his career. Now 32, the Trinidad & Tobago international defender is playing non-league football for Maidstone after stints with the likes of Dagenham & Redbridge and Barnet in the lower leagues. He continued his career with [Bournemouth](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/afc-bournemouth) after eventually leaving north London, but injury forced him to retired aged just 27. The defender's only Premier League minutes came in a goalless draw with The academy product went on to play Premier League football for the likes of Blackburn and Spurs, for whom he scored in a 4-4 North London Derby draw, but he would end up retiring aged 29 after falling out of love with football. It has been working wonders, too, with [a Boxing Day win against West Ham](https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/match-reports/arsenal-west-ham-goals-highlights-28818845) strengthening the Gunners' position at the top of the Premier League table.