31st August

John 'Jack' McClelland was a goalkeeper who played for Arsenal between 1960 and 1964, appearing for the club in 46 league matches. On the 31st August 1963, McClelland was injured after 22 minuted in the match against Leicester City. The Gunners were losing 2-0 when the goalkeeper was injured. Joe Baker, a centre-forward, volunteered to cover for the absence of McClelland and guard the goal himself, but his efforts did not prevent Leicester from winning with the score of 7-2.

On the 31st August 2006, William Gallas signed for Arsenal from Chelsea, with unhappy left-back Ashley Cole moving the other way. Apart from the player swap, Chelsea paid Arsenal £5 million. Chelsea were found guilty of tapping up Ashley Cole in January 2005. Even though he sounded his desire to leave the club, Ashley Cole had signed a new contract at the time. Eventually, his destination was still Chelsea. Gallas was named Arsenal captain in 2007 but was removed later for criticising his teammates in a media interview. Gallas would sign for rivals Tottenham Hotspur in 2010 after his contract with Arsenal expired.

One year later on the 31st August, French midfield player Lassana Diarra joined Arsenal from Chelsea in another deal between the two clubs. Diarra spent just five months at Arsenal as he became unhappy that he was not getting the first team action he had hoped for. For Arsenal, the French player appeared in just 7 league matches. He moved to Portsmouth in 2008 for a fee in the region of £5 million. He would play for Real Madrid between 2009 and 2011, getting a fair share of first team action, as he appeared in 68 league matches for the Spanish club. Diarra joined Arsenal's biggest rivals Tottenham in 2011.

30th August

Gerard Pieter (Gerrit) Keizer was the first foreign player to wear the Arsenal shirt. Back in 1930 on the 30th August, Keizer made his debut for Arsenal in the 4-1 victory over Blackpool at Bloomfield Road. Keizer was a Dutch goalkeeper who was highly successful in Holland and was one of the first foreign players to play in Great Britain football. He used to play for Arsenal and then travel to Holland at night to play for Ajax the next day, earning himself the nickname The Flying Dutchman.

Then-manager Herbert Chapman eventually got tired of the young Dutch keeper and dropped him from the first-team in October, never to pick him again for the first team. He moved to Charlton in July 1931 and continued to fly between his native country and England. He also imported football kits into Holland with him as Ajax could not afford them at the time, and in 1947 was caught by Dutch Customs trying to import British bank notes, which at the time was a crime. He was fined and sent to prison for 6 months, after which he started a greengrocer business and in 1955 became director of Ajax. Gerrit Keizer, remembered as the first foreign player to play for Arsenal, died on the 5th December 1980.

29th August

Taking a look back at the early years of Arsenal, we start by looking at the 29th August 1925, when Arsenal lost 1-0 against arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the first match of the 1925/26 season. And to make the loss worse, the match was played at Highbury in front of 53183 supporters. The proceeds from the gates of the stadium were supposed to go to then-manager Leslie Knighton, and they would have amounted to around £4000. However, Knighton was fired by Arsenal chairman Sir Henry Norris before the match was played, and was replaced by Herbert Chapman. Knighton alleged that he was sacked only because Norris did not want to pay him the proceeds from the match against Tottenham. This was the first match in charge for Herbert Chapman and also the debut of striker Charles Buchan.

On the 29th August 1987, striker Alan Smith scored his first goal for Arsenal against Portsmouth after making his debut in the 2-1 loss against Liverpool two weeks earlier. Smith, who joined the club from Leicester in 1987, went on to play 265 league matches for Arsenal and scored 86 goals. He helped the club win two First Division titles, the FA Cup 1993, the League Cup 1993, and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1993/94. Smith is currently a commentator with Sky Sports. He was commentator of the 2011 UEFA Champions League Final alongside Martin Tyler.

28th August

On the 28th August of 1928, an 8 1/2 feet clock was placed on the North Bank of Highbury Stadium, to be moved to the opposite end of the ground, the College End, in 1935. This clock originally gave fans a 45-minute countdown of each half, but the Football League made the club change it to an ordinary clock.

In the year 1982 on the 28th August, striker Lee Chapman made his debut for Arsenal against his previous club Stoke City. Chapman joined Arsenal in 1982 after attracting their interest due to his goalscoring abilities. He scored 34 goals in 99 league matches for Stoke. However, his Arsenal move was not a success as he played just 23 matches in which he scored 4 goals. Neither was his debut, as Arsenal lost 2-1 against Stoke at the Victoria Ground.

On the 28th August 1993, Ian Wright, who played as a striker for Arsenal between 1991 and 1998, entered the UK pop charts with his song 'Do The Right Thing'. This song peaked at the 43rd position, and stayed in the charts for two weeks. For Arsenal, Wright scored 128 league goals in 221 league appearances after he joined the club from Crystal Palace.

Listen to the song below, thanks to drcstim:

27th August

Brynmor Jones, known as Bryn Jones, was a Welsh inside-forward who played for Arsenal between 1938 and 1949. Jones scored on his debut on the 27th August 1938 against Portsmouth. He continued to find the net in two of his following games, but then he managed to score just one more before the end of the season. During his 11 years at Arsenal, he only managed to score 7 league goals.

On the 27th August 1997, Dutch second-striker Dennis Bergkamp scored a hattrick against Leicester City at away stadium Filbert Street. In that match, Arsenal drew with the score of 3-3. Bergkamp, who joined the club from Italian club Inter, played for the club between 1995 and 2006, and retired from football in 2006 while still at Arsenal.

On the 27th August of the year 2008, French attacking midfielder Samir Nasri made his UEFA Champions League debut for Arsenal against FC Twente and scored in the 4-0 victory over the Dutch club. Arsenal won in the Third Qualifying Round of the 2008/09 Champions League with a 6-0 aggregate over FC Twente to go through to the Group Stage.

26th August

Sylvain Wiltord signed for Arsenal on the 26th August 2000 after spending three seasons at French club Bordeaux. Arsenal paid a club-record fee of £13 million for the player which could play both as a winger and as a striker. For Arsenal, Wiltord appeared in 104 league matches between 2000 and 2004, scoring 32 league goals. He left Arsenal in 2004 for free as his contract expired and he decided to return to France with Olympique Lyon. After that, he played for Rennes, Marseille, Metz and Nantes. In a vote to find the Top 50 Arsenal Players in the club's history, Wiltord was voted 33rd.

25th August

On Saturday the 25th August 1928, Arsenal started using numbers on their shirts in a game against Sheffield Wednesday. The system in those days used the number 1 to 22 only, and it remained so until 1939. Chelsea were the only other team that started using numbers on the same day as Arsenal when they played Swansea.

In more recent years, in the year 2004, Arsenal managed to beat Blackburn Rovers by the score of 3-0 at Highbury on the 25th August with the goals being scored by Henry, Fabregas and Reyes. It was Arsenal's 43th game unbeaten, breaking the previous record held by Nottingham Forest of 42 games unbeaten. Arsenal won the 2003/04 Premier league title without being beaten once, scoring 73 goals and conceding 26 goals, for a point total of 90 points, and an 11-point advantage over runners-up Chelsea. In the 2004/05 Premier League, they finished second behind Chelsea, losing 5 games in the whole domestic season.

24th August

On the 24th August of 1967, Arsenal midfielder Michael Thomas was born in Lambert. Michael Thomas started his football career as a youth player for the Arsenal youth team between 1982 and 1984. He then signed professional terms in 1984 and played for the club until 1991, spending the 1986 campaign out on loan at Portsmouth. For Arsenal, Michael Thomas appeared in 206 league games, scoring 30 goals. He also earned two England international caps while playing for Arsenal.


Thanks to uploader 2ume

The game remembered most by Arsenal fans in which Michael Thomas played was the one against Liverpool in May 1989. He scored the goal against Liverpool which secured the First Division title for Arsenal. That season, Arsenal and Liverpool finished at the top of the table with equal points (76 points) and equal goal difference (+37 goals). Arsenal won the title with a superior Goals For (73 goals).

23rd August

Luis Boa Morte was one of Arsene Wenger's earliest signings when he took over as manager of Arsenal. Boa Morte was signed from the youth academy of Portuguese club Sporting CP. He made his debut as a substitute in a match against Southampton played on the 23rd August 1997. After signing for the transfer fee of £1.75 million, Boa Morte spent just two seasons at Arsenal and played just 25 league matches. He joined Southampton, the team against which he made his Arsenal debut, in August 1999 for £500000.

On the 23rd August of the year 2006, Theo Walcott became the youngest Arsenal player to represent the club in a European competition. The match was played at home in the Third Qualifying Round of the UEFA Champions League against Dinamo Zagreb. Walcott was just 17 years 129 days old. He was booked in that match for taking a shot after the referee whistled, and thus became also the youngest Arsenal player to be booked in a European competition.

22nd August

On the 22nd August 1964, Arsenal's 3-2 defeat at the hands of Liverpool was the first and only football match featured on the first episode of Match of the Day.

On the 22nd August of the year 1999, Davor Šuker made his debut for Arsenal as a substitute in the match against Manchester United. Davor Šuker is a Croatian and holds the record of being the all-time top goalscorer for the Croatian national team, which record stands at 45 goals. He joined Arsenal after three seasons at Real Madrid, but only spent the 1999/00 season playing at Highbury. He scored 8 goals in 22 league appearances. In his debut against United, Arsenal lost by the score of 2-1.

21st August

In the year 1976 on the 21st August, Malcolm Macdonald made his league debut for Arsenal at Highbury against Bristol City. The Fulham-born player was signed from Newcastle for the unusual fee of £333333.33. Prior to his debut, he boasted that "There is no way I will not be on the scoresheet on Saturday". But in real fact, apparently there was a way he would not, as Arsenal lost the match by the score of 1-0. However, in the three seasons that the player spent at Arsenal, he had a good return of 42 league goals in 84 league appearances: an average of one goal every two matches. He left Arsenal to join Djurgårdens IF in 1979.

Connected to Macdonald, in the year 1981 on the same day, his former striking partner Frank Stapleton was sold to Manchester United for the transfer fee of £900000. Stapleton, who started his professional career at Arsenal, scored 75 league goals between 1974 and 1981, in 225 appearances. He joined United and played for the club until 1987, with a return of 60 league goals in 223 league appearances.

20th August

Patrick Jennings, known popularly as Pat Jennings, was a goalkeeper who signed for Arsenal from arch-rivals Tottenham in 1977. To make matters worse, Jennings joined Tottenham again when he left Arsenal in 1985. For Tottenham he played a total of 472 league matches between 1964 and 1977, and just 5 matches between 1985 and 1986. For Arsenal, he made 237 appearances in goal. On his debut on the 20th August 1977, Pat Jennings conceded a goal against Ipswich Town and Arsenal lost the match by the score of 1-0.

On the 20th August of 2008, French defender Mikael Silvestre joined Arsenal from Manchester United on a two-year deal. The transfer was concluded 11 days after Silvestre's birthday. While for Manchester United he played 361 matches in all competitions scoring 10 goals, for Arsenal he made 43 appearances and scored 3 goals. He spent 9 seasons at Man Utd and two seasons at Arsenal, before moving on a free transfer to Werder Bremen in 2010.

19th August

On the 19th August 1961, Arsenal striker Laurie Brown made his debut in a 2-2 draw against Burnley. He was converted by Arsenal into a centre-half and played 109 league matches for the club, scoring just twice. Brown moved to arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur in 1964 after 3 seasons at Highbury. At Tottenham, he scored 3 goals in 62 league appearances. His debut with Tottenham was coincidentally against Arsenal and he nearly scored in a 3-1 victory for Tottenham. The transfer fee received by Arsenal for the centre-half was £40000.

John Kosmina was Arsenal's first Australian senior player. He joined the club from Adelaide City but spent a very short time in England. In fact, he played just one senior game for Arsenal, and this was a substitute appearance against Leeds United on the 19th August 1978. He was sold to West Adelaide SC in May 1979.

Dutch striker Dennis Bergkamp made his debut for Arsenal on the 19th August 1995. He started his career at Ajax, then moved to Inter for two season, before joining Arsenal in 1995. His debut was in the match against Middlesbrough at Highbury which finished in 1-1 tie. For Arsenal, Bergkamp made 316 league appearances, scoring 87 goals. He retired at the club in 2006 and started a career in coaching with Ajax in 2011, being appointed Assistant Manager.

The 19th August 2006 was the date when the first league match was played at the new Emirates Stadium which replaced Highbury as Arsenal's home stadium. The match was played against Aston Villa and finished with the score of 1-1, Gilberto Silva scoring Arsenal's goal. The stadium which cost £390 million to construct has a capacity of 60361.

18th August

On the 18th August of the year 2001, English defender Sol Campbell made his debut for Arsenal in a 4-0 victory over Middlesbrough. Campbell became a regular player for the Gunners between 2001 and 2006, when he left to join Portsmouth. He made 135 league appearances for the Gunners and from a central defender position even managed to score 8 goals.

Interestingly, Sol Campbell played for arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur before joining Arsenal on a free transfer. He was labelled Judas, in other words 'traitor', by the Tottenham supporters. Newspaper the Daily Mail even listed him as the Number 1 Biggest Traitor in Football. However, in his first season for Arsenal, Campbell helped the club win the Premier League and FA Cup double. He enjoyed Premier League success again in the 2003/04 season and FA Cup success in the 2002/03 and 2004/05 season. He also won the 2002 and 2004 Community Shield with Arsenal.

17th August

Ex-Arsenal player Wilfred Copping was born on the 17th August 1909. He joined Arsenal in June 1934 from Leeds United where he had appeared in 162 league matches. He played at the centre and at the left of midfield, and earned 20 caps for the English national team. For Arsenal, he played 166 league matches and then joined Leeds again in 1939. He was nicknamed Iron Head due to his tenacity on the pitch, and had three superstitions before matches: he was always 6th in the line-up, he always put his left boot first, and he never shaved on a match day. Copping died in June 1980.

On the 17th August of the year 1977, one of the modern players that would go on to earn legend status at Arsenal was born: Thierry Henry. After playing for Monaco and Juventus, Henry joined Arsenal in 1999 and went on to make 254 league appearances for the club, scoring 174 league goals. His total for all competitions was 226 goals in 369 appearances. Thierry Henry moved on to Barcelona in the summer of 2007. In his time at Arsenal, he helped the Gunners win 2 Premier League titles, three times the FA Cup and twice the Community Shield.

16th August

David O'Leary made his debut for Arsenal on the 16th August 1975 against Burnley at their stadium Turf Moor. O'Leary played as a central defender for Arsenal between 1975 and 1993, where he made 558 league appearances for the club. Then he moved to Leeds until 1995 when he retired. Then he managed Leeds United between 1998 and 2002, and Aston Villa between 2003 and 2006, before coaching Al-Ahli for the 2010/11 season. O'Leary earned 68 caps for the Republic of Ireland to complement the 1005 times he appeared in an Arsenal shirt in all competitions.

On the 16th Auust 1980, Arsenal left-back Kenny Sansom made his debut against West Brom. Then he continued to appear in all matches in the 1980/81 season and in the 1981/82 season. For Arsenal he played 314 league matches, and he is the club's most capped England player, earning 77 of his 86 career caps while playing for Arsenal between 1980 and 1988.

Another player to make his debut on the 16th August, in the year 2008, was French player Samir Nasri. It was his Premier League debut after joining from French club Marseille. The match was played against West Brom, like that of Kenny Sansom's debut, and Nasri scored the only goal in the 1-0 victory at home stadium Emirates in front of 60071 spectators.

15th August: Goodbye Cesc Fabregas: Off to Barcelona

On the 15th August 2011, Cesc Fabregas was officially confirmed as the latest signing of European Champions Barcelona. On this day, we thank the Spanish midfielder for his services in the past 8 years, in which he scored 57 goals in all competitions, as he heads home to Spain. It was the Arsenal captain's wish to play with the Barcelona first team. As a boy, Fabregas started out his football career as a youth player for the Blaugrana. His dream was to join international teammates and friends Carles Puyol, the current captain of Barcelona, Pique, Xavi, Iniesta, Villa and goalkeeper Victor Valdes. And his dream is now fulfilled. 

He joins a club which has won the top Spanish division 21 times, the Copa del Rey (King's Cup) 25 times, the Spanish Super Cup 9 times, the UEFA Champions League 4 times including the 2010/11 competition, and the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup, among others. At the age of 24, Fabregas starts this new adventure in his illustrious career. 303 is the number of appearances that he made in an Arsenal shirt in all competitions, and the fans loved him. Arsenal after Fabregas' departure will not be the same Arsenal, and with the £35 million revenue from his sale, it will be a big headache for Wenger to find a player to fill his boots. 

Fabregas' debut at a senior level came at the age of 16 years 177 days against Rotherham United at home on the 28th October 2003. He holds the record for being the youngest Arsenal first team player ever. His first goal for the club came just 35 days later, on the 2nd December 2003 against Wolverhampton Wanderers. He also holds the record for being the youngest goalscorer in the club's history after scoring at the age of 16 years 212 days. He earned the captain's armband in 2008 and became a regular in the Spanish national team. While at Arsenal, he was part of the Spanish team which won Spain's first ever FIFA World Cup in 2010. 

Arsenal head coach Arsene Wenger sounded his disappointment that the Spanish midfielder is heading towards the exit door of Arsenal when he said: "We have been clear that we didn't want Cesc to leave and that remains the case. However, we understand Cesc's desire to move to his home town club and have now accepted an offer from Barcelona. We thank Cesc for his contribution at Arsenal and wish him future success." 

We look at some of the best moments of Cesc Fabregas in the Arsenal shirt in these videos by Alex7Greek and JustWe4HD:

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15th August

On the 15th August 1992, Arsenal played the first match in the new top domestic league in English football: the Premier League. This match was played against Norwich City at Highbury, and Arsenal lost with the score of 4-2, with the Arsenal goals being scored by Steve Bould and Kevin Campbell. Back then, Arsenal's shirts were manufactured by German brand Adidas and sponsored by JVC. In that season, Arsenal won the FA Cup and hence qualified for the 1993/94 European Cup Winners' Cup First Round. In the league, however, the club slumped to an awful 10th place finish, with the league winners being Manchester United with a 28 point advantage over Arsenal's 56 point total.

On the 15th August of 2011, Arsenal announced on their official website that they have reached an agreement with Catalan giants Barcelona for the transfer of Cesc Fabregas. After a long-protracted transfer saga, the Spanish midfielder returns to Nou Camp after playing for the club's youth eam between 1997 and 2003. The captain of Arsenal now moves to the Spanish and European Champions for a fee in the region of £35 million after repeatedly stating in the media that he longed for the move to boyhood club Barcelona. 

14th August

Left winer Luis Boa Morte made his last appearance for Arsenal on the 14th August 1999 in a match against Sunderland as a second-half substitute. The match was played at the Stadium of Light. Boa Morte, who started his professional career at Arsenal and played for them between 1997 and 1999 after playing for the Sporting CP youth team, made just 25 league appearances for the club, and was sold to Southampton for the transfer fee of £500000. Later, he would play for seven years for another London club, Fulham FC.

On the 14th August 2005, on a Sunday, Arsenal played Newcastle United and won the match by the score of 2-0. It was the opening match of the 2005/06 season which was the last one played at Highbury Stadium before moving to a newly-built stadium. This was the season where Arsenal players wore redcurrant shirts.

13th August

After several rumours that Aaron Ramsey was set to join Manchester United, Arsenal entered the race for his signature and succeeded in securing the signature of the young Welsh midfielder. On the 13th August 2008, Ramsey made his debut for Arsenal when he came on for Theo Walcott in the 84th minute of the match against Twente. The game was played away and was the first leg of the Third Qualifying Round of the 2008/09 UEFA Champions League. Ramsey joined Arsenal from Cardiff City for £4.8 million and then spent loan periods at Nottingham Forest and back at Cardiff City.

Arsenal started their 2011/12 Premier League campaign with a match against Newcastle United. The match against the Magpies, as they are nicknamed, finished with the score of 0-0 which was somewhat disappointing for Arsenal fans. The fans also saw new signing Gervinho being sent off for slapping Newcastle midfielder Joey Barton in the face. 

12th August

On the 12th August 1980, Kenneth Sansom joined Arsenal from Crystal Palace in a part-exchange deal which included striker Clive Allen, reserve keeper Paul Barron, and £1 million. Sansom played for Arsenal between 1980 and 1988, appearing 314 times in the league. Until February 2011, he held the record for the biggest number of full-back caps for the English national team, until he was overtaken by Ashley Cole. Sansom made his debut for Arsenal on the 16th August 1980 against West Brom.

In 1994 on the same date, reserve goalkeeper Alan Miller left Arsenal and signed for Middlesbrough for £500000. He was a youth player for Arsenal between 1984 and 1988, and was a reserve goalkeeper for the club between 1988 and 1994. In total, he appeared 9 times for Arsenal in the league. Later he enjoyed periods of first team action with Middlesbrough (1994-97: 57 league appearances) and West Brom (1997-00: 93 appearances).

On the 12th August 1996, Stewart Houston started his second spell as caretaker manager of Arsenal when Bruce Rioch was relieved of his duties as manager. Houston was a Manchester United player in his playing days, appearing 205 times for the club in the league as a left-back. He managed Arsenal as caretaker manager in 2005 and in 2006. He left the position of caretaker manager in 2006 when he realised he was not going to get the job permanently, and took over the position of manager of Queens Park Rangers. Interestingly, he appointed Bruce Rioch as his assistant manager at QPR. Arsene Wenger was appointed manager on a permanent basis after the departure of Stewart Houston.

11th August

On the 11th August 1977, Arsenal acquired the services of goalkeeper Pat Jennings from bitter rivals Tottenham, which thought that he was past his best. Jennings joined Arsenal at the age of 32 but went on to play until he was 40, appearing 327 times for the Gunners. He helped Arsenal reach three FA Cup Finals in a row between 1978 and 1980, winning the 1979 edition with a 3-2 victory over Manchester United. Initially, Jennings signed a four-year £80000 per week contract with Arsenal.

On the 11th August of the year 2002, it was a debut goal from Gilberto that won the FA Community Shield for Arsenal. It was the 14th time that Arsenal lifted the shield. The match was played at the Millennium Stadium in front of 67337 fans. The opponents were Liverpool, and Gilberto's goal came in the 69th minute. Gilberto played for Arsenal between 2002 and 2008. He joined Arsenal on the 7th August 2002 for £4.5 million.

10th August

Andrew Alexander Cole, well known by the shortened name Andy Cole, started his football career as a youth player for Arsenal. He signed professional terms in 1989 and played for Arsenal until 1991. His last match for the Gunners was on the 10th August 1991 in the Charity Shield against Tottenham Hotspur. The game finished 0-0 and the two teams shared the trophy. However, Arsenal lost one great player, which would later play for rivals Manchester United and bag 93 goals in 195 appearances. With United he won the Premier League 5 times, the FA cup twice, the FA Charity Shield twice, the 1998/99 UEFA Champions League and the 1999 Intercontinental Cup.

On the 10th August 2004, Francis Jeffers was sold to Charlton Athletic for £2.6 million. He is regarded by many as a huge flop as he cost £8 million to transfer from Everton in 2001, and was sold three years later for much less. He scored 4 goals in 22 appearances in an Arsenal shirt, and was loaned back to Everton for the 2003/04 season before being permanently transferred to Charlton.

9th August

On the 9th August 1977, Mikael Silvestre was born in Chambray-les-Tours in France. Silvestre joined Arsenal from Manchester United in a rare transfer between the two rivals. He joined his new teammates on the 20th August 2008. Silvestre could play both in the centre of defence and as a left-back. He played for the Gunners between 2008 and 2010. His debut for Arsenal came in the 3-1 win over Everton on the 18th October, which was his 250th game in English football. Silvestre was released by Arsenal on a free transfer after the 2009/10 season, after he had played 43 games and scored 3 goals for the club. Afterwards, he joined Werder Bremen.

8th August

On the 8th August 2001, Arsenal ex-player Paul Vaessen was found dead in his bathroom in his house in Bristol. He was a heroin addict and a large amount of drugs was found in his bloodstream, attributing his death to overdose. Vaessen was born in 1961 and played for Arsenal as a striker between 1978 and 1982, scoring 6 goals in 32 appearances. He died at the age of 39. His most memorable goal came in the 1980 Cup Winners Cup Semi Final Second-leg, when he headed Graham Rix's cross and put Arsenal 2-1 up over Juventus to secure a place in the Final.

On the same day in 2004, Arsenal beat Manchester United with the score of 3-1 at the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff to win the FA Community Shield. Gilberto Silva scored for Arsenal on the 50th minute to be equalised by United's Alan Smith in the 55th minute. Then Reyes scored on the 58th minute and Mikael Silvestre scored an own goal in favour of Arsenal on the 79th minute. Silvestre eventually joined Arsenal from Manchester United on the 20th August 2008. On the day, Arsenal played in blue while United used their red home shirt.

After playing with the Southampton youth academy since the age of 7 and signing professional terms with Southampton in 2010, the young Englishman appeared 36 times for the Saints, as they are nicknamed, in the 2010/11 season, scoring 9 goals. At the age of 17, the young winger was announced as a summer 2011 signing for Arsene Wenger's Arsenal on the 8th August 2011. It was reported by the press, despite not officially confirmed, that Arsenal paid £12 million for his services, which could rise by a further £3 million depending on appearances and performances. 

7th August

On the 7th August of the year 1993, Arsenal were beaten by Manchester United in the 71st edition of the FA Charity Shield. The match was played at Wembley Stadium in front of 66519 fans. Gerald Ashby was the referee of the match. Mark Hughes scored for Manchester United on the 8th minute and Ian Wright equalised for Arsenal on the 40th minute. The game went on to penalties.

Out of the first five penalties taken by each club, Ince, Bruce, Keane and Cantona scored for United while Irwin missed, and Winterburn, Jensen, Campbell and Merson scored for Arsenal, while Wright missed the penalty that would have made Arsenal winners. The shootout went on to sudden-death. Bryan Robson converted the penalty for Manchester United, but goalkeeper David Seaman missed from the spotkick. This was Manchester United's 11th triumph in the Charity Shield. The shield was presented to captain Steve Bruce.

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6th August

On the centenary of Huddersfield Town FC, on the 6th August 2008, Arsenal played against Huddersfield at their home stadium, Galpharm Stadium, in the Herbert Chapman Trophy. Herbert Chapman was manager of Huddersfield between 1921 and 1925, before he took charge of Arsenal for the period 1925-1934. Chapman died of pneumonia while he was still manager of Arsenal, in the early hours of the 6th January 1934. He won the Football League title with Huddersfield in 1923/24 and 1924/25, and then won it with Arsenal in 1930/31 and 1932/33. He also won the 1922/23 FA Cup with Huddersfield, and the one of 1929/30 with Arsenal. To remember his loved memory among supporters and players alike, the team which he had built went on to win the 1933/34 and 1934/35 Football League titles.

This was a very special occassion, as one can imagine. The match was played in front of 19044 fans and Arsenal eventually won the match by the scoreline of 2-1. During a ceremony on the same date, Arsenal presented Huddersfield with a bust of Herbert Chapman, the manager who led both teams to success during his era. In the match, James Berrett scored for Huddersfield in the 75th minute. Arsenal put the game level through Sanchez Watt in the 79th minute, and the winner was scored by Nacer Barazite in the 87th minute.

5th August

On the 5th August of the year 1998, Wenger completed the signing of Argentine right-back Nelson David Vivas from Boca Juniors for £1600000 after he spent the 1997/98 season on loan at Swiss club AC Lugano. Vivas is still regarded as an all time legend for Arsenal, even though he spent just three seasons at the club and made only 40 appearances in which he failed to find the net. He was loaned out to Celta Vigo in 2000, and sold to Inter in 2001. Nelson Vivas retired in 2005 while playing at Quilmes, the same club where he started his professional career.

4th August

On the 4th August 1948, David Danskin died in a home for the elderly in Warwick at the age of 85. Danskin was a founding member of Arsenal, which at the time was founded as Dial Square FC. By profession, Danskin was a mechanical engineer and a footballer for Royal Arsenal between 1886 and 1889. He was born on the 9th January 1863 in Fife in Scotland. Danskin was buried in Coventry in the London Road Cemetery.

More recently in the year 2003, French left-back Gael Clichy signed for Arsenal for the fee of £250000 from AS Cannes. Clichy played 187 games for Arsenal in the 8 years he spent at the club between 2003 and 2011, scoring just one goal. He moved to Manchester City on the 4th July 2011 for a reported fee of £7 million, 28 times the price for which he was brought to England by Arsene Wenger.

3rd August

On the 3rd August 1999, Arsenal bought French striker Thierry Henry for £10 million from Italian club Juventus. Arsene Wenger had previously managed Thierry Henry when he was coaching AS Monaco. Henry is one of the most successful players in the history of Arsenal, making a name for himself as a world-class striker. He scored 174 goals in 254 games for Arsenal, before moving to Barcelona in 2007 and to New York Red Bulls in 2010. The French striker also netted 51 goals in 123 international caps. Henry experienced racism and is an active spokesperson against racism in football. He was ranked ninth in the world in the list of most commercially marketed footballers. He is one of the biggest acquisitions for Arsene Wenger and helped Arsenal win two Premier League titles, 3 FA Cups and twice the FA Community Shield.

2nd August

On the 2nd August of the year 1934, the club's ex-Chairman Sir Henry Norris was buried in East Sheen cemetery. Norris was an English businessman, politician and football club director, and is renowned for his chairmanship of Fulham and Arsenal. In 1919, even though Arsenal ranked 5th in the Second Division, they were promoted to the First Division allegedly through his involvement. Norris was born on the 23rd July 1865 in London and died on the 30th July 1934.

On the 2nd August 1978, Paul George Barron made his debut for Arsenal against Manchester City. The English goalkeeper joined the club from Plymouth Argyle and played only 8 games for Arsenal between 1978 and 1980. He was subsequently sold to Crystal Palace where he played 90 games. The goalkeeping coach at the time, Bob Wilson, said he was disappointed with Barron as he did not achieve his potential. Paul George Barron is currently the goalkeeping coach of Nottingham Forest.

1st August

On the 1st August of the year 1980, Arsenal sold Liam Brady to Italian club Juventus in a very unpopular move among the club's supporters. The midfielder was sold to Juve for £514000. Brady was a youth player for Arsenal before starting his professional senior career and the Irish player scored 43 goals in 235 matches played for the club. In the present day, Liam Brady occupies the position of Head of Youth Development at Arsenal. Liam Brady spent 9 years playing for Arsenal, and in his remaining 10 playing years since leaving Arsenal, he played for 5 teams: Juventus, Sampdoria, Inter, Ascoli and West Ham.

On the same date in 1982, Arsenal announced the signing of Lee Chapman for £500000 from Stoke City. After spending 5 years playing for Stoke and scoring 34 goals in 99 matches, the English striker spent just one season playing for Arsenal (1982/83), scoring 4 goals in 23 appearances.

In 2006 on this date, left-back Armand Traore joined Arsenal from AS Monaco. Since the year 2006, he has only made 12 appearances for Arsenal and was sent out on loan to Portsmouth in 2008/09 and to Juventus in 2010/11. Traore's only goal came when he was on loan at Portsmouth.