When fans think about Arsenal Football Club, the first accomplishment in their magnificent history, one of which comes into one’s mind is the Invincibles of 2003-04.
After the move into the Emirates and the dissolution of that great team, the club suffered a long trophyless period before ending the drought with back to back FA cups.
Unfortunately, the club is yet to win a league title for over a decade and fans haven’t held back their frustrations against Arsene Wenger, in particular as they feel the squad has been left short in one position or another every year.
The biggest pain for Arsenal fans in this period has been consistently losing their best players every season and watching them win accolades at other clubs.
There are quite a few players who could have made Arsenal successful had they stayed on but here are the top 7 players who’s sale has proved to be a significant loss for the club.
Hit Wenger below to see SEVEN players he should never have let leave!
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Gilberto Silva
Not the first player that comes to one’s mind and not a flamboyant star who makes the headlines, but Gilberto Silva’s importance to the team cannot be understated.
A fantastic defensive midfielder, the Brazilian was happy to do the dirty work as the creative players pushed forward and did their bit. He was a wall, protecting the back four brilliantly and an absolute fan favourite.
He still had a couple of good seasons in him, but was sold to Greek club Panathinaikos in 2008. It is fair to say Arsenal were currently crying out for a midfielder like him ever since and a few more seasons from him could have been extremely valuable for a team in transition.
Samir Nasri
When Samir Nasri arrived from France, Arsenal fans did not fully know what sort of player they were getting. They hadn’t made any high profile signings in the recent years and probably did not expect much from Nasri.
But it did not take them long to realize that they had a gem of a talent with world class potential. Nasri dazzled on the field and his flashes of brilliance had the fans filled with delight. He was a typical “Wengerball” player who had good technique, always looking for an incisive pass and to play fluid football. He fitted in well with the likes of Fabregas, Hleb and Rosicky.
In 2010, Nasri was named France Football French Player of the Year. The 2010-11 season was easily his standout season when he racked up the numbers in terms of goals and assists. He was nominated for both the PFA Players’ Player of the Year and PFA Young Player of the Year.
Nasri was at his peak when he made the controversial move to Manchester City drawing the irk of fans perhaps undeservedly as the club did not fight to keep him when a huge offer came up. In his debut he assisted three goals against arch rivals, Spurs putting a dagger into Arsenal fans hearts.
Although he has maintained his respect for Arsene Wenger with loyalty, his comments against Arsenal fans have made him a villain to the Gunners. His career may have sort of stalled but the sight of him lifting the Premier League trophy with their rivals would have hurt Arsenal fans immensely.
Ashley Cole
Ashley Cole is probably the best talent to come out of Arsenal’s academy and one of the greatest left-backs in football history. Unfortunately for Arsenal , a lot of his honors have come with their London rivals, Chelsea.
Ashley Cole made the infamous move across London in 2005 when Arsenal refused to increase his wages. When Cole heard from his agent, Jonathan Barnett, that Arsenal’s offer was a mere 55K pounds, he says he nearly swerved off the road. It’s just a shame for Arsenal, that he swerved right into Stamford Bridge.
Cole had an extremely glittering career at Chelsea, winning all the major honours including the Champions League. Arsenal are yet to find a player of his calibre in his position and probably never will.
While they hate on the man they call ‘Cashley’, not one of the Gunners can deny they have missed Ashley Cole donning the famous Arsenal jersey.
Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry is perhaps the biggest legend in the history of Arsenal. The club’s leading goalscorer, he was the talisman of the successful era under Arsene Wenger. His contributions to the team were breathtaking and it is a travesty that Pavel Nedved won the Ballon d’Or theyear Henry was probably the best player in the world.
Thierry perhaps felt that it was time for a new challenge after many successful years at Arsenal. Fueled by his ambition to win the Champions League, he moved to Barcelona who would probably buy about any decent player wearing the red and white. He won a treble at the Catalan club before moving on to the MLS to end his career.
Thierry’s short return and that magical moment against Leeds is one of the most emotional moments for the fans in recent years. Surely they wouldn’t have complained to see the magic that Highbury witnessed from this great player at the Emirates more regularly.
Patrick Vieira
Arsenal’s world class midfielder and captain of the Invincibles, Patrick Vieira is perhaps the player Arsenal miss the most at present. They certainly haven’t replaced him for over a decade and that has been their downfall.
Vieira was an all conquering midfielder, as he filled the opposition with dread and his mere presence, not denying his obvious class, was enough to intimidate opponents in the tunnel itself. Who can forget his rivalry with Roy Keane? Ah, Arsenal fans just got all nostalgic.
His partnerships with Petit and Gilberto have won Arsenal plenty of honours. He was also a leader, the backbone of the team and he is what Arsenal have been lacking since he left.
Vieira’s sale to Juventus followed by his affiliations with Manchester City would have filled every Arsenal heart with pain. The fact that the club has not offered him a role is pretty surprising considering the massive influence he could have on the team.
It is fitting that this legend’s last kick for the club was the winning penalty in the FA Cup final of 2005 against the team he fought the hardest against, arch rivals Man United.
Cesc Fabregas
When Arsene Wenger explained the sale of Patrick Vieira and the subsequent shift from the 4-4-2 formation, it was obvious that he wanted to build the team around Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas.
Fabregas was poached from the famous La Masia, Barcelona’s youth academy, at the age of 16. Wenger shocked many a fan and pundit when he put Fabregas into the first team at the tender age of 17. But many could see that here was a kid with immense potential, one who could become the best midfielder in the world.
Fabregas lived up to the lofty expectations as he became the heart of the Arsenal team. At 21 he was made captain. Arsenal fans absolutely adored their prodigal son and when he kissed the badge many thought his love for the club would precede over the obvious interest from Barcelona. Every match there would be chants of “We love Cesc Fabregas” and for a period the club revolved around him.
But loyalty in football can often be thin and Fabregas broke many a heart when he eventually moved back to Barcelona. Despite reports of strikes, watching a Grand Prix instead of being with the team and his attempts to drive his price down, Arsenal fans still loved him.
But the straw that broke the camel’s back was his move to rivals, Chelsea. It is safe to say that many an Arsenal fan look at him as a traitor. Arsenal lost Vieira , a successful formation and philosophy to build the team around Fabregas and this was not what they deserved.
Robin Van Persie
The Dutchman tops the list just for the anguish Arsenal fans suffered when he released public statements about the club and then moved to their most heated rivals, Manchester United. The pain was compounded when he proved to be the main man in their 20th league title campaign.
Arsenal had stuck with Robin Van Persie for many years when he spent more time on the treatment table than on the pitch. There was no denying his world class abilities but he was so injury prone that any other club or manager would have sold him .
Van Persie had a stellar 2011-12 season when he was scoring goal after goal and single handedly took Arsenal to a top four spot. But Arsenal fans were in for a shock when he announced he would not be signing a new contract and, to their fury, moved to United.
Now the biggest Judas in their eyes and most hated by fans who once loved him immensely, Van Persie had a successful year at United. He was shocked when Sir Alex announced his retirement and the dream of many glorious years under the great man was brought to an abrupt halt. Ah, there’s a bit of KARMA, Robin.
The club and his career gradually declined and to the Arsenal fans delight they would not have to see him every week in the league as he moved to Turkish side Fenerbahce.
Their biggest regret would be that now they have world class players in Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez, they are now missing the world class striker that Robin Van Persie was. The potentially magic combo Van Persie in front of Ozil sadly will never be a reality.
