Adebayor fills the breach

Before the 2007/08 campaign had even got underway the doom-mongers were already penning Arsenal's obituary.

Without the Barcelona-bound Thierry Henry, how could the Gunners expect to mount a serious challenge for any silverware this season?

However, a 15-game unbeaten run to open the season blew any suggestions that Arsene Wenger's side were a spent force out of the water, and saw the birth of a new goal king at the Emirates Stadium - Emmanuel Adebayor.

The languid Togolese hit-man had enjoyed a steady yet unspectacular start to his career at Ashburton Grove, netting 16 times in 57 appearances before Henry packed his bags for Spain.

Unleashed from his shackles, Adebayor began the season like a man who knew he had a point to prove to the sceptics who doubted his ability to become a truly fearsome target man.

A blistering start saw him bag six in as many games as he, and his team-mates, burst out of the proverbial blocks with a blur of mesmerising, free-flowing football.

His gangly stature can sometimes make him appear less comfortable than Bambi on ice, but there was no denying the former Monaco man's awesome power and keen eye for goal.

Two goals against their old adversaries, Tottenham, in a 3-1 waltz in the White Hart Lane sunshine back in September instantly endeared him to the Gunners faithful, while a hat-trick seven days later against hapless Derby ensured that he became the rightful heir to a certain Frenchman's crown.

An eight-game drought followed the slaughtering of the Rams, but he bounced back in style grabbing 16 in his next 17 - including a run which saw him score 12 in nine consecutive games.

Now firmly established as one of the Premier League's most potent goal threats, Adebayor decided he needed an image change.

Unfortunately for him, with the corn rows gone the goals dried up. Four matches came and went without him troubling the scorers, prompting suggestions that he had suffered a Samson-esque loss of power once shorn of his locks.

Once again, though, he defied the critics in the best possible manner, notching the crucial second in a 2-0 victory away in Milan as the Gunners came of age in the UEFA Champions League.

Saving his best form for European competition, Adebayor was again on target during both legs of an exhilarating, yet ultimately unsuccessful, semi-final showdown with Liverpool.

Their demise at the hands of the Reds on a rollercoaster night at Anfield will have those doubters, who at the start of the season had predicted a fruitless campaign for the Gunners, preparing their, 'I told you so' speeches.

However, with the title race still far from over, a striker with 25 goals in just 43 appearances could yet prove to be the man who ensures that it is Arsene Wenger who laughs last this season.

One of Africa's finest young talents, the Togo international has quickly established himself as one of the country's top strikers. He has had a fantastic season and the quality, not just the quantity of his goals, speak for themselves.