William Gallas Bio Send To Friend  

Gallas has forged a reputation as one of the most commanding centre-backs in the League and has become a vital player at Arsenal after a five-year spell at Chelsea.

Always concerned about being played out of position at full-back rather than in his preferred position in the centre, there was constant speculation about his future and he finally got his move away on transfer deadline day when swapping clubs with another wantaway star, Arsenal's Ashley Cole and signed for the Gunners.

Gallas was signed by Claudio Ranieri for the Stamford Bridge outfit in May 2001, snapped up from Marseille for £6.2m and dubbed as one of the brightest prospects France had to offer.

After a slow start he eventually blossomed into a fine player for Chelsea. Worth every penny, he played 41 games in his first season, netting two goals and earning his full France debut in a 5-0 demolition of Slovenia in a Euro 2004 qualifier in October 2002. Gallas was also in the France squad for Euro 2004, playing all four games as they were unexpectedly knocked out in the quarter-finals by Greece.

Despite spending much of the 2004-05 season speculating over his own future with Chelsea, Gallas continued to be a vital member of the first team. With Celestine Babayaro sold to Newcastle United and Wayne Bridge sidelined with an ankle injury, Gallas was forced to play at left-back for the second half of the season.

Gallas started 28 Premiership games - second only to John Terry among the club's central defenders - as Chelsea won the Premiership and the Carling Cup. The centre-back was one of the first names on Jose Mourinho's teamsheet in 2005-06, as well as for France at the World Cup as they lost out to Italy on penalties in the final.

By this point Gallas had cemented his place as one of the best defenders in Europe, able to play anywhere across the back four and equally as adept in each position. But he continued to voice his displeasure at being unable to play in the centre of defence and he finally earned a move away after making 225 Chelsea appearances and scoring 14 goals.

Most observers considered Arsenal to have got the better of the Cole-Gallas swap, and that certainly seemed to be the case with his early performances. He soon became a vital member of the first team alongside Kolo Toure, and was named captain for the 2007-08 season over Gilberto Silva.

Gallas scored against his old club, Chelsea, in December, to give the Gunners a 1-0 win; but his season was blemished by a tantrum thrown after the club drew 2-2 with Birmingham in February, conceding a penalty in the final minute. And many critics blamed Gallas' outburst for Arsenal's failure to maintain their title challenge and questioned the Frenchman's suitability as captain.

Doubts continued over Gallas' temperament in the 2008-09 season when histrionics after Arsenal drew 4-4 with Tottenham were followed by a public criticism of his team-mates. As a consequence Wenger dropped Gallas from the squad and stripped him of the armband, casting doubt over his future with the club, but he stayed on as Arsenal finished fourth.

Regardless of his colourful behaviour, the centre-back brings important experience to a youthful side and is one of the most important players in Wenger's side. Although his long-term future is never secure.