3 players to make the most appearances for both Southampton and Arsenal

The highly anticipated Premier League matchday seven is upon us as Southampton will face Arsenal in an away fixture at the Emirates Stadium. While the two sides have had contrasting starts to their Premier League campaign, the two clubs have been involved in transfer talks in the transfer window as Aaron Ramsdale completed his £25 million move to the St. Mary's Stadium from Arsenal. 

Moreover, a lot of players have played for these two clubs in the Premier League. On that note, here are the three greatest players to have played the most matches for both Southampton and Arsenal in the Premier League.

3 players to make the most appearances for both Southampton and Arsenal

Theo Walcott

Coming through the youth ranks at Southampton, Walcott was widely routed to become the next greatest right-winger for the England national team. In his first season playing for Southampton’s first team, Walcott turned heads with his performances and was rewarded with a £10 million move to Arsenal next season. 

The then 16-year-old played a few seasons for Arsenal's youth teams before establishing himself as a regular starter under Arsene Wenger. Since then, Walcott scored 108 goals and provided 73 assists in 397 appearances for Arsenal and went on to become an integral part of the Arsenal lineup that consisted of Premier League stars such as Mesut Ozil, Olivier Giroud and Petr Cech. 

During his stay at Arsenal, Walcott won three FA Cup as well as lifted the Community Shield twice before leaving the club after twelve years to join Everton in 2018. After two years, Walcott returned to Southampton in 2020 and played three seasons for the Saints before retiring last year, after Southampton’s relegation in the 2022/23 season. 

Moreover, in Southampton’s last match against Arsenal, Walcott scored the second goal for Southampton in the thrilling 3-3 draw.