Giroud and Sanchez in agreement over "one of the best" Arsenal talents

Arsenal faced some challenges during the final years of Arsene Wenger's reign as manager, but plenty of top talents still graced the Emirates Stadium during that period.

Olivier Giroud scored more than 100 goals for the Gunners over the course of five-and-a-half years, while Alexis Sanchez won the club's Player of the Year award twice in his first three seasons.

However, there were also players on the club's books at the time who could have achieved even more had injury not got in the way, and Giroud and Sanchez are in agreement over the identity of one such player.

Giroud was quizzed about his time in England, which also involved a stint at Chelsea, and he echoed the earlier comments of his former colleague.

Who was Arsenal's best player of the 2010s? Have your say in the comments section

Sanchez and Giroud spent more than three years together at Arsenal ( Image:

GETTY)

When asked by Tribal Football to name the best players he has played alongside, Giroud said: "One of the best players I played with at Arsenal was Santi Cazorla."

Cazorla joined Arsenal in the same summer as Giroud, and played a big part in the FA Cup wins in 2014 and 2015.

However, injuries restricted the Spanish midfielder to just 11 appearances for the Gunners across his last two seasons with the club.

Giroud's comments call to mind Sanchez's 2015 interview, in which he described Cazorla as "a spectacular player".

"You never know whether he will kick the ball with his right or left foot. Also, he moves with short but quick strides, which is a remarkable trademark too," the Chilean said.

"Although I knew about his quality, playing alongside him makes me very happy."

Cazorla, who will turn 37 in December, has been enjoying a late-career renaissance.

He returned to former club Villarreal in 2018, spending two seasons in Spain, before moving to Al-Sadd and winning the Qatar Stars League's Player of the Year award in his first season.

The Ballon d'Or shortlist has been released! Vote for your winner below.

Former Arsenal midfielder Francis Coquelin was one of the players to partner Cazorla in the middle of the park when the pair were together in north London, and he summed up his team-mate's quality at the start of the 2015-16 season.

It is easy to play alongside Santi because he is such a great player," Coquelin said.

"Last season with Santi was something special because we got a lot of praise, but the most important thing is that no matter who plays, we can get the result."