3) Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal, 2011)
A highly influential player for Arsenal in his time at the club, Cesc Fabregas was the biggest blow as a number of players left the Emirates Stadium in the summer of 2011. The Spanish playmaker was joined out of the exit door by Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy, but Arsenal still managed to move up a place in the table from fourth to third after Fabregas’ departure.