The talented English centre-back who sat on the sidelines while Arsene Wenger selected Igors Stepanovs
The Suffolk-born centre-half left Birmingham City for West Ham for £6m in the January 2007 transfer window… and then got injured 30 minutes into his debut. His next game was just as bad, a recurrence of the injury forcing him off the field in an echo of the fitness problems that dogged his time at Arsenal.
Born in Hartismere, Suffolk, Upson came through the ranks at Luton before being signed by Arsene Wenger in 1997 for £2m, but he was never really given a run in the side at Highbury – Wenger never quite seemed to trust him – and he left for St Andrew's in 2003 after loan spells at Forest, Palace and Reading.
At Birmingham he matured into a dominating leader of the back line and his progress was rewarded a first senior international call-up. He made his debut for England in a friendly against South Africa in 2003.