Former Hale End star about to reach remarkable Premier League milestone
Alex Iwobi is one of the most underrated players in the Premier League.
Always available, consistently reliable, and has been trusted by every manager he has worked under.
He never really makes the headlines but he is a top professional.
And today, if he features for Fulham against Crystal Palace at Craven Cottage, he will make a little piece of history.
Alex Iwobi set to achieve rare Premier League milestone
Iwobi will become only the fifth player in Premier League history — and the first African player ever — to make 100 or more appearances for three different clubs.
He made 100 with Arsenal, 123 at Everton, and is currently on 99 with Fulham. Today he will join Gary Speed, Rory Delap, Gareth Barry and James Milner in that exclusive company.
Alex Iwobi is just ONE appearance away from Premier League history! 😍🔥
— Bop Daddy ⚪️🔴 (@awoyemijoshua61) September 3, 2026
🔴 Arsenal — 100 appearances
🔵 Everton — 123 appearances
⚪ Fulham — 99 appearances
Once Iwobi makes his 100th appearance for Fulham, he’ll become only the 5th player in Premier League history to reach… pic.twitter.com/m1yrhJwNr3
That is quite remarkable. Reaching 320-plus Premier League appearances across three clubs proves how adaptable he is tactically and how durable he is physically. Most players simply can’t replicate that.
Alvaro Arbeloa is the 10th manager Iwobi has now worked under in the Premier League, and what’s impressive is how often his role has changed.
Under Arsene Wenger he was a progressive winger. Under Frank Lampard at Everton he reinvented himself as a box-to-box midfielder. Under Marco Silva at Fulham he became one of their most important creative players. Under Arbeloa he has been operating in a deeper role, so it’ll be interesting to see how he fares there.
Fulham are looking to get their season moving in the right direction after losing their opening two league games. A home game against fellow strugglers Palace is a good opportunity for them.
Alex Iwobi is among Arsenal’s club-record sales
Iwobi joined the Arsenal academy when he was just six years old. The Hale End graduate was fast-tracked into the first team by Wenger, making his senior debut in 2015.
He was sold on deadline day in August 2019 for an initial £28million, rising to £35million with add-ons.
Of course, as an academy graduate, the sale was pure profit, so was useful capital at a time where Arsenal signed Nicolas Pepe for £72million that same window.
Whether that was the right call (it wasn’t!) is another thing. Pepe, considering the money involved, was a disaster. And some Arsenal fans are convinced Iwobi would have been exactly the kind of player Arteta would have taken to.
We will never know. What we do know is that he has gone on to have a fine career elsewhere.
