The decline of Ljungberg
Opta take a look at how Freddie Ljungberg's form has dipped in recent seasons.
The news that long-serving Arsenal midfielder Freddie Ljungberg has left the club to move to West Ham United was not unexpected but it will be a sad day nonetheless for many Gunners fans.
The Swedish international had racked up nine seasons under the tutelage of Arsene Wenger but leaves just a year before he would have been due a testimonial.
But perhaps it was the perfect time for Ljungberg to depart, before his reputation at the North London club had became permanently sullied, for the past two campaigns have rarely seen him hit the heights that were once his trademark.
| 1998-99 | 1999-00* | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | |
| Appearances | 16 | 26 | 30 | 25 | 20 | 30 | 26 | 25 | 18 |
| Goals | 1 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| Goals/game | 0.06 | 0.23 | 0.20 | 0.48 | 0.30 | 0.13 | 0.38 | 0.04 | 0.00 |
| Shooting Accuracy | 53% | 63% | 55% | 57% | 67% | 51% | 70% | 54% | 50% |
| Goal Assists | 0 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 0 |
Indeed, in his final two terms at Arsenal, Ljungberg scored only one goal, a paltry return from a player who twice racked double figures in a single season.
Interestingly, Ljungberg's shooting accuracy never fell below 50% in his time at Arsenal but the goals simply dried up in his latter years.
2006-07 also saw him fail to create a Premiership goal for the first time since his debut campaign.
Ljungberg also managed a mere 18 games last season, only one more than Thierry Henry, another Gunners deserter this summer.
And while Henry will plan to add to his glittering reputation at Barcelona, the feeling persists that Ljungberg has used his fabled sense of timing to make his move at exactly the right moment.
