Noni Madueke looks set to become the latest player to play in the Premier League for both Arsenal and Chelsea. But how many players have previously done so, and how does that compare to other pairs of clubs in the competition?
It’s expected Noni Madueke will make the short journey across London to join Arsenal from Chelsea before the start of the 2025-26 Premier League season.
Some Arsenal fans have expressed their annoyance at their club giving yet more money to their London rivals for a player deemed surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge. Before Kepa Arrizabalaga’s move this summer, Kai Havertz was the last to make the switch back in June 2023 for a reported fee of £65m, while Jorginho made the same journey from south-west to north London only six months earlier.
Havertz and Jorginho help make up a group of 15 players who have played for both Arsenal and Chelsea in the Premier League, joining the likes of Ashley Cole, Cesc Fàbregas, Petr Cech, Olivier Giroud and others (okay, the other players are David Luiz, Emmanuel Petit, Lassana Diarra, Nicolas Anelka, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Raheem Sterling, William Gallas, Willian and Yossi Benayoun, just to put you out of your misery).
But that is some way off the Premier League benchmark for the number of players to have played for two specific clubs in the competition – it’s a record shared by two other London sides.
Scored for Two Clubs in Premier League History
Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham have shared 24 different players over the 33 years of the Premier League since its inaugural season in 1992-93.
Of those 24, only one made over 100 Premier League appearance for both Spurs and Fulham: former Wales winger Simon Davies joined Spurs from Peterborough United, making his debut in the top flight for them in April 2000. After 121 top-flight games for Spurs, he joined Everton before spending six seasons at Fulham to finish off his career, making 137 appearances for the Cottagers.
The next-most common combination of clubs to share Premier League players is Aston Villa and Everton; 22 different players have represented both clubs in the competition.
Among those players are the Premier League’s leading appearance maker Gareth Barry (365 apps for Villa, 131 for Everton), Ashley Young, Lucas Digne and Idrissa Gueye.
Liverpool have shared 21 players over Premier League history with two different clubs: Villa and West Ham United.
Played for Two Clubs in Premier League History
While joint third in the rankings for most players shared in the Premier League, Liverpool and Aston Villa have seen a record 15 different players score for both clubs in the competition’s history.
Although that list is 15 strong, just one of those players reached double figures for goals at both Liverpool and Aston Villa: the evergreen James Milner, who netted 12 for Villa and 19 for Liverpool.
Meanwhile, Robbie Keane and Peter Crouch are two of just 10 players in Premier League history to have scored for six or more clubs in the competition (Craig Bellamy is the only one of those to have scored for seven), with both of them netting for Liverpool and Aston Villa.
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