Which players do we think will have regretted leaving Arsenal in the past…
Over the last decade, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has consistently and unwaveringly denied allegations about the Gunners becoming a selling club – looking to turn a profit by allowing their best players to leave.
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Many fans of the North London club would no doubt debate such a denial, pointing towards Manchester City and Barcelona in particular benefiting from the purchase of Arsenal players.
Some of the stars that have left the Emirates Stadium, or even Highbury, have enjoyed success at their new clubs – think Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri or Gael Clichy – but many have been left to regret leaving a place where they had been successful:
10) Jose Antonio Reyes
After spending the final year of his time at Arsenal on loan at Real Madrid, Reyes has gone on to enjoy a fairly successful career in Spain, but has perhaps never lived up to his early potential in England.
9) Marc Overmars
Joined Barcelona in 2000, and while he had his moments at the Camp Nou, he never quite matched the status he had at Arsenal. His cause was not helped by injury issues, and his time at Barcelona eventually ended in retirement.
8) Paul Merson
The controversial midfielder decided to go after one last big day by moving to Middlesbrough in 1997, rather than sticking with Arsenal, where he would have won the double the following year.
7) Nicolas Anelka
Was a talented young player at Arsenal, and could have gone on to be a club legend. Instead, he spent his career taking the big moves when they came along, and chasing the form that never quite returned to him.
6) Emmanuel Adebayor
Became one of the most hated men in the country, or at least London, when he joined Manchester City and did THAT celebration. But he was soon out in the cold at City, and his form as never been the same since, despite some good days in a Tottenham shirt.
5) Patrick Vieira
Left Arsenal for Juventus in 2005, and despite some strong performances for the Italian giants, the club were soon engulfed in issues and an enforced relegation. He left for Inter Milan before finishing his career at Manchester City.
4) Emmanuel Petit
The Frenchman shone for Arsenal between 1997 and 2000, but he was a total flop the following year after a move to Barcelona. He returned to London to finish his career at Chelsea, but he never rediscovered his Arsenal best.
3) Alex Song
What is it about Arsenal players moving to Barcelona? And this isn’t even the last one on the list. Song just wasn’t quite Barca quality, but has shown while on loan at West Ham this season, that he is more than capable of cutting it at the top level.
2) Alexander Hleb
A player that has spoken openly about they regret he holds regarding his Arsenal departure. The Belarus international was a regular for the Gunners until his departure in 2008, when he promptly became little more that a squad player for the Catalans.
1) Thierry Henry
A bit of a surprise? He did, after all, win the Champions League with Barcelona, and has enjoyed plenty of success as a major name in the MLS. But never again, was Henry the god-like figure that he was at Arsenal. He was forced out wide by Barcelona to make way for the brilliance of Lionel Messi, and he was just another player for them. Does the Frenchman wish he’d stayed and helped the Gunners to further success?
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