Arsenal signed the Czech Republic international in May 2006 for an undisclosed fee, believed to be in the region of £7 million. The midfielder was brought in after Robert Pires left the club at the end of his contract but has struggled with injury throughout his Gunners career.

An energetic, attacking midfielder with a penchant for the spectacular and an impressive range of passing, Rosicky had been a major name on the continental scene for many years, at one time being the most expensive Bundesliga signing after Borussia Dortmund bought him from Sparta Prague for £18 million. He made his professional debut for Sparta in 1998 and was an instant success, earning the nickname 'the Little Mozart' in helping his hometown club win three successive league titles.

Rosicky was part of a Dortmund team which enjoyed a fine run of success. They won the title in his first season and also reached the final of the UEFA Cup before losing to Feyenoord. But Dortmund's fortunes took a downturn when they hit financial problems and Rosicky departed to assume the No. 7 shirt which was formerly worn by Pires at Arsenal, making an impact in his first season when scoring five goals in all competitions, including a brace against Liverpool in the FA Cup.

He started the 2007-08 season in fine form when scoring six goals before the turn of the year but an apparently innocuous injury in an FA Cup tie against Newcastle in January would leave his future in the game in doubt. After a hugely-frustrating recovery beset by setbacks, Rosicky finally returned to first-team action in September 2009 when scoring in a 4-2 defeat to Manchester City. His lengthy absence deprived Arsenal of a extra dimension to their attacking play and Rosicky has still to prove that following the injury he is capable of shaking off persistent fitness problems, and replicating the kind of form that convinced Wenger to bring him to the club.

Strengths: Rosicky is very much a typical Arsenal player in that he excels with the ball at his feet and revels in a passing game. In possession he is an effective distributor of the ball and has the vision to find his team-mates.

Weaknesses: Rosicky has lost an element of dynamism since his long-term injury and lacks the penetrative power and devastating shooting ability that he used to possess. He has a tendency to drift out of games.

Career high: Winning the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund in 2002.

Career low: Spending a full 20 months on the sidelines between December 2008 and September 2009 as a troublesome tendon injury took a large chunk out of his career.

Style: Influential, stylish, talented, a classy midfielder.

Quotes: "The last two seasons haven't been easy for me because of injuries but I feel it speaks volumes about the club's belief in me for this to be signed, and I truly believe I have a lot left to offer the club, my team-mates and all the supporters." Rosicky on his new contract, January 2010.

Trivia: Rosicky is a huge Ice Hockey fan and during his time at Dortmund he challenged team-mate, and fellow Czech, Jan Koller to a match. "He got his team and I got my team and we played a big game," Rosicky said. "It was very good,"