William Gallas

William Gallas profile

• Name

  William Gallas

• Born

  August 17, 1977

• Asnières, France

• Position

  Defender

• Squad Number

  10

• Previous Club(s)

  Caen

• Marseille

• Chelsea

• Joined Arsenal

  August 31, 2006

• Arsenal Debut

  Middlesbrough (h)

• Premier League

• September 09, 2006

• Drew 1-1

• First Arsenal Goal

  Sheffield United (h)

• Premier League

• September 23, 2006

• Won 3-0

William arrived at Arsenal in the summer of 2006 as part of the deal which took Ashley Cole to Chelsea and, within a year, he was named as Club captain in the wake of Thierry Henry's departure. William's appointment surprised some but his first season as skipper had more highs than lows.

The Frenchman was a driving force as Arsenal opened up a five-point lead in the Premier League but the team fell short in the final stages of the title race. He expects this season to be different. "You want to be the best captain and give good advice to your players, but sometimes you can make mistakes as well," he said. "This season I know what I¹m going to do and I know I am ready to change my way of speaking to the players."

After an injury-hit first season with the Club, William made a major contribution in his second year. His pace, power and football intelligence makes him a valuable asset at the heart of defence and, in a young side, William's experience is priceless.

He also has a happy knack of nicking vital goals. William scored four times last term and all of them came at crucial moments - a last-gasp equaliser against Manchester United, a deadlock-breaker against Wigan, the winner against Chelsea on the pitch and the volley which ignited a famous comeback at Bolton. William will be hoping for more of the same this season.