taste in the mouth" and that Chelsea's statement should be taken "with a large pinch of salt." Arsenal Gallas signed a four-year contract with Arsenal, where he took the number 10 shirt vacated by the recently retired Dennis Bergkamp. In an October 2006 interview with the official team magazine, Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger explained his decision to hand him the squad number 10 (traditionally a forward's or a midfielder's number): "Number three was uncomfortable for him and I had given the rest of the numbers out. In the end I thought it might be a good idea to give the number ten to a defender, because a striker would suffer a lot with the comparison with Dennis. At first I was reluctant to give Dennis's number out, and especially to a defender, but overall I think it's better that way." Gallas made his full debut for the Gunners at left-back in the team's 1–1 home draw against Middlesbrough on 9 September 2006 and scored his first goal against Sheffield United on 23 September 2006. Gallas was confirmed as Arsenal captain on 9 August 2007, with Kolo Touré serving as vice-captain. This caused some controversy, however, as Gilberto Silva was expected to receive the captain's armband. His first competitive game as Arsenal captain was on 12 August 2007 against Fulham, which ended in a 2–1 victory for Arsenal. Gallas suffered a groin injury in the game against Blackburn Rovers on 19 August, but returned to play for Arsenal in their 2–0 victory over Bolton Wanderers on 20 October. In the traditional Arsenal–Manchester United clash at the Emirates Stadium on 3 November, he scored an own goal to initially give United the lead but also a last-minute goal to give the Gunners a draw. On 24 November 2007, Gallas scored against Wigan Athletic when Bacary Sagna crossed in and Gallas headed past goalkeeper Mike Pollitt. On 16 December 2007, Gallas scored against his old club Chelsea, which was to be the only goal in the match to secure three points for Arsenal. Gallas attracted some criticism as a result of his actions in a 2–2 draw against Birmingham City on 23 February 2008, a game in which his teammate Eduardo had his leg broken following a challenge by Martin Taylor. When Gaël Clichy of Arsenal conceded a penalty in injury time at the end of the second half, Gallas walked into the