There was one season where for the first half of the season he scored more goals and I thought there was a legitimate argument that he was the best player in the league, better than Ronaldo. But he seemed to tail off after that and never quite reached those heights again. Wenger moved him forward but I thought he was a lot better for us when he played as one of the two in 4231 not as the middle of the three.
See also Santi Cazorla.