John Jensen (1992/93-1995/96)

John Jensen joined Brondby on loan until the end of the season in March 1996 and helped the Danish side to win the Superligaen Championship, having fallen out of favour under new Arsenal boss Bruce Rioch. He was even initially given the number 30 shirt for the 1995/96 campaign but it was changed to number 19 before the season was underway. John signed for Brondby on a free transfer in the summer of 1996 and the club enjoyed further Championship successes in 1996/97 and 1997/98. In November 1998, John was part of the Brondby team that was beaten by 5-0 by Manchester United at Old Trafford in the first group stage of the Champions League. Brondby finished as runners-up to Aalborg during the 1998/99 Superligaen campaign, John's last season in what was his second spell with the Danish outfit. He began his managerial career with the Danish side, Herfolge in the summer of 1999 and amazingly won the Superligaen Championship during 1999/00, his first ever campaign as a manager. Herfolge, beaten 6-0 on aggregate by Scottish club Glasgow Rangers in Qualifying Round Three of the Champions League during August 2000, were relegated from the Superligaen during 2000/01.

Siggi Jonsson (1989/90-1990/91)

Siggi Jonsson joined IA Akranes from Arsenal on a free transfer for the Icelandic Premier League season of 1992, having failed to make a single league appearance for 'The Gunners' during 1991/92. He spent four seasons with Akranes between 1992 and 1995 before moving on to the Swedish side, Orebro where he spent the 1996 and 1997 seasons respectively. He signed for Scottish Premier League side Dundee United in November 1997 after an initial trial period but his three seasons with the club were often disrupted after sustaining injuries to the ankle ligaments and hamstring. Injury restricted Siggi to make only 43 league appearances, his last coming on Saturday, April 8, 2000 in a 1-0 defeat at Kilmarnock. His contract was terminated in April 2000 by mutual consent, even though it would have been completed by the summer anyway, and he returned home to Norway a month later to join IA Akranes for the third time in his career. The club secured fifth position in the Icelandic Premier League during 2000, finishing 11 points behind Champions, KR Reykjavik.

(1994/95)

Chris Kiwomya was released on a free transfer by Arsenal during the 1998/99 pre-season and signed for Division One side Queens Park Rangers in August 1998. His initial one-year contract was extended in the summer of 1999 having scored 6 goals in 16 league games during his first season with the club. Chris featured in the league on 44 occasions and netted 13 times in 1999/00 and helped 'The Superhoops' towards making a tenth place finish. In the 2000/01 season, QPR came face-to-face with Arsenal at Loftus Road in the FA Cup Fourth Round but it was his former employers who went on to win the game 6-0. He scored 6 league goals in 26 games during 2000/01 but it was not enough to preserve the clubs status in Division Two. Chris was out of contract at the end of the season and was released on a free transfer as part of a cost-cutting exercise to reduce the clubs wage bill. During the summer of 2001, he sealed a move to the Danish side, Aalborg and will be hoping to help the club win the Championship for the second time in four seasons, during 2001/02.

Anders Limpar (1990/91-1993/94)

Anders Limpar left Arsenal in March 1994 for Everton in a £1,600,000 deal. Having helped to maintain Everton's Premiership status on the last day of 1993/94, Anders was a member of the FA Cup winning side of 1995 that defeated Manchester United 1-0 in the final. During 1995/96, Anders and his Everton side were denied a place in Europe by Arsenal, who beat 'The Toffees' to fifth position on the final day of the season, producing a late display in beating the already relegated Bolton Wanderers 2-1 at Highbury. Everton were once again facing a relegation dogfight during 1996/97 and Anders was out of favour at Goodison Park. He only made two league appearances, both against Blackburn Rovers, during the Premiership campaign and joined First Division Birmingham City in January 1997 for a cut-price fee of £100,000. Life did not get much better for Anders at Birmingham where he only made 4 league appearances, the last coming on Saturday, March 8, 1997, in a 2-1 home victory over Southend United, before transferring to the Swedish outfit, AIK Stockholm in the summer of 1997 on a free transfer. Anders stayed at AIK Stockholm until February 1999, leaving for Colorado Rapids to play Major League Soccer in America. He signed a two-year contract with the Swedish side Djurgardens in November 2000 having left Colorado Rapids earlier that month. In March 2001, two weeks before the Swedish Allsvenskan season was about to begin, Anders announced his retirement from the game. The decision was based on his physical condition, which he felt would prevent him from competing in every game. He decided that he would not be doing himself justice if he could only take a backseat role and the time had come, therefore, to end to his playing career.

(1990/91-1996/97)

Andy Linighan joined Division One side Crystal Palace (111 league appearances) in a £150,000 deal during January 1997. He was a key addition to the Palace team that finished in sixth position during 1996/97 and was promoted to the Premiership after a 1-0 victory over Sheffield United in the final of the First Division play-offs. Palace were relegated during the following season, despite investing heavily in signing the likes of Attilio Lombardo, Itzik Zohar, Michele Padovano, Valerien Ismael and Sasa Curcic. Terry Venables took over as Head Coach in the summer of 1998 but it was off- the-field problems that looked set to determine the future of the club as 'The Eagles' went into administration during March 1999. Members of the Crystal Palace squad stayed together despite periods in which the players were not being paid and there was enormous doubt casting around Selhurst Park about the clubs short-term future. Due to the financial situation, the club had a clearing out of players to cut costs and Andy was one of the victims of that particular exercise. He joined Division One side Queens Park Rangers on loan until the end of the season in March 1999 and made 9 league appearances for the club where other former Arsenal players such as Steve Morrow, Matthew Rose, Lee Harper and Chris Kiwomya plied their trade throughout 1998/99. Andy returned to Palace for the 1999/00 season, giving the club the kind of loyal service, which prevented it from going bust and was ever present in the first-team, prior to the final game of the league season. He was out of contract in the summer of 2000 but stayed on under new boss Alan Smith, who returned to the club after a 5-year absence. Andy only made a single substitute appearance for Palace during 2000/01 and his Crystal Palace contract was terminated after a dispute with the clubs new owner, Simon Jordan in October 2000. Andy signed for Second Division Oxford United later that month on a free transfer but the club were relegated to Division Three after a highly unsuccessful season. Throughout the campaign, Andy featured in the league for Oxford on 13 occasions but was released at the end of the season on a free transfer. Andy signed for Ryman League Premier Division St Albans City in the summer of 2001 on a non-contract basis and succeeds an increasing number of former Arsenal players to move into non-league football.

(1983/84-1989/90 and 1996/97-)

John Lukic left Arsenal for Leeds United (146 and 209 league appearances) in the summer of 1990 in a £1,000,000 deal. In just his second season at the Yorkshire club after rejoining them, he won his second League Championship medal in four seasons. Arsenal met Leeds a total of 12 times between 1990/91 and 1992/93 and overcame them twice in the FA Cup Fourth Round; in 1990/91, after four attempts, and during 1992/93 after just two. He stayed at Leeds United until the summer of 1996 when he resumed acquaintances with Arsenal, joining the club on a free transfer. After deputising for David Seaman no less than 15 times in the league during 1996/97, he was reduced to third-choice keeper in the summer of 1997 when Alex Manninger arrived from Austria. His services in the first-team were not again called upon until the 2000/01 season, where he made three league appearances and kept three clean-sheets. In the summer of 2001, at the age of 40, John announced his retirement from the game and his number 24 jersey has been taken over by £6,000,000 signing, Richard Wright.

Pal Lydersen (1991/92-1992/93)

In March 1995, Pal Lydersen had his Arsenal contract terminated and returned home to Norway to rejoin IK Start Kristiansand on a permanent basis, the club he had previously been with on loan. After leaving Kristiansand in 1996, he joined Max. Bundesliga side, Sturm Graz (Austria), who he played for between 1996 and 1997. Pal returned to Kristiansand for a short spell, before joining Molde FK (Norway) of the Tippeligaen in 1997. Having finished the 1998 season in second place, Pal was a member of the Molde squad that qualified for the Champions League during its 1999/00 campaign. The club did not progress any further than the first group-stage, bowing out in a group containing Real Madrid, FC Porto and Olympiakos Piraus. Pal announced his retirement from the game at the end of the Tippeligaen season in 1999, in which the club once again finished in second position.

© Richard Tufft & ArseWeb 2001