Arsenal have bought a lot of players from Chelsea in recent years, with Mikel Arteta adding two ex-Blues stars in summer 2025 alone.
Even before the days of the Spaniard at the helm, the Gunners have shared plenty of stars with their London rivals in the past, whether they have been sold directly to one another or joined the red or blue parts of the capital later in their careers.
But it’s fair to say that players who have played in both parishes have had mixed success – so who are the best footballers to play for the two clubs in the Premier League era?
Ranking factors
To rank these players in order, we have considered the following criteria:
- Success at both clubs – having a positive spell at both clubs
- Impact – how important they were to both teams
- Trophies won – the number of major trophies won across their spells
9: William Gallas
Chelsea 2001-2006; Arsenal 2006-2010
The fact that William Gallas appears on this list may suggest that we are scraping the barrel early on, but to give credit where it’s due, the Frenchman did win two Premier League titles at Chelsea before leaving for Arsenal as a makeweight for Ashley Cole in 2006.
However, he endured ignominy at both clubs, with the defender being accused by Chelsea of threatening to score an own goal for the Blues if they refused him a transfer, while he was stripped of the Gunners captaincy after publicly criticising his teammates.
| Gallas at Arsenal & Chelsea | Arsenal | Chelsea |
|---|---|---|
| Seasons | 4 | 5 |
| Transfer fee | Part-exchange | £6.2m |
| Signed from | Chelsea | Marseille |
| Major trophies won | 0 | 3 |
8: David Luiz
Chelsea 2011-2014 & 2016-2019; Arsenal 2019-2021
David Luiz’s best football in London certainly came during his Chelsea days, with the Brazilian winning six trophies at Stamford Bridge, including three European titles.
In fact, his last game in a Chelsea shirt was their Europa League final victory over Arsenal in 2019, before signing for the Gunners a few months later.
A well-respected member of the dressing room, the defender also won the FA Cup with Arsenal against his former club in 2020.
| David Luiz at Arsenal & Chelsea | Arsenal | Chelsea |
|---|---|---|
| Seasons | 2 | 5.5 |
| Transfer fee | £8m | £21.3m & £34m |
| Signed from | Chelsea | Benfica & PSG |
| Major trophies won | 1 | 6 |
7: Jorginho
Chelsea 2018-2023; Arsenal 2023-2025
Jorginho became Mikel Arteta’s first of several transfers from Chelsea when he joined in early 2023 to aid the Gunners’ title charge.
It came off the back of four and a half seasons at Stamford Bridge where he had installed himself as a key player, winning the Champions League in 2021. He also captained both clubs across his time in London.
| Jorginho at Arsenal & Chelsea | Arsenal | Chelsea |
|---|---|---|
| Seasons | 2.5 | 4.5 |
| Transfer fee | £12m | £57m |
| Signed from | Chelsea | Napoli |
| Major trophies won | 0 | 4 |
6: Kai Havertz
Chelsea 2020-2023; Arsenal 2023-present
Kai Havertz’s £65m move to Arsenal in 2023 raised eyebrows, though the German quickly became a key member of Mikel Arteta’s title-chasing side.
However, his finest hour came in blue, when he scored the winning goal in the 2021 Champions League final to hand Chelsea their second European crown.
He also scored a winning penalty in their Club World Cup final victory in 2022 against Palmeiras and has gone close to the Premier League title with the Gunners, notably scoring twice against Chelsea during a near-perfect run-in in 2023/24.
| Havertz at Arsenal & Chelsea | Arsenal | Chelsea |
|---|---|---|
| Seasons | 3 (still active) | 3 |
| Transfer fee | £65m | £71m |
| Signed from | Chelsea | Leverkusen |
| Major trophies won | 0 | 3 |
5: Petr Cech
Chelsea 2004-2015; Arsenal 2015-2019
Petr Cech is one of, if not the greatest, Premier League goalkeeper of all time. Chelsea bought him for a measly £7m in 2004, with the Czech going on to form part of the meanest defence in English football history.
Winning 13 trophies at Chelsea, including the Champions League and four Premier League titles, his success was rather more understated at Arsenal, though he did contribute to an FA Cup triumph against the Blues in 2017, watching on from the bench in the final.
Blues fans will certainly remember him more fondly.
| Cech at Arsenal & Chelsea | Arsenal | Chelsea |
|---|---|---|
| Seasons | 4 | 11 |
| Transfer fee | £10m | £7m |
| Signed from | Chelsea | Rennes |
| Major trophies won | 1 | 13 |
4: Nicolas Anelka
Arsenal 1997-1999; Chelsea 2007-2012
A league winner at both clubs, Anelka was a relatively unknown youngster when he burst onto the scene at Highbury, leading Arsenal to their first Premier League title under Arsene Wenger in 1998 before notching in the FA Cup final to secure a historic double.
His time in north London was short-lived as Arsenal cashed in on the Frenchman, but he would find himself back in the capital in 2007 via spells at Liverpool, Manchester City and Bolton Wanderers, amongst others.
For Chelsea, he won a Premier League Golden Boot in 2008/09 and the title a year later, before leaving for China in early 2012.
| Anelka at Arsenal & Chelsea | Arsenal | Chelsea |
|---|---|---|
| Seasons | 2 | 4 |
| Transfer fee | £500k | £15m |
| Signed from | PSG | Bolton |
| Major trophies won | 2 | 3 |
3: Olivier Giroud
Arsenal 2012-2018; Chelsea 2018-2021
A fan favourite at both clubs, Olivier Giroud was tasked with replacing Robin van Persie at Arsenal before moving to Chelsea to help preserve a World Cup place for France in 2018 following the Gunners’ move for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Giroud became one of just 19 players to score over 100 goals for Arsenal, leading them to three FA Cup triumphs – setting up the winner against Chelsea in 2017.
After moving to west London eight months later, he capped his first full campaign at Stamford Bridge by scoring against the Gunners in the Europa League final, before starring on the Blues’ run to the Champions League in 2021, most notably when scoring four against Sevilla in the group stage.
| Giroud at Arsenal & Chelsea | Arsenal | Chelsea |
|---|---|---|
| Seasons | 5.5 | 3.5 |
| Transfer fee | £12m | £18m |
| Signed from | Montpellier | Arsenal |
| Major trophies won | 3 | 2 |
2: Cesc Fabregas
Arsenal 2003-2011; Chelsea 2014-2019
Cesc Fabregas became one of Arsenal’s youngest captains after soaring to prominence following his debut as a teenager in 2003.
Fabregas became one of the best midfielders in the world, though his time at Arsenal was dominated by the club’s inability to secure major silverware, with a solitary FA Cup in 2005 all he could claim while in north London.
That changed when Arsenal reportedly turned down the chance to re-sign the Spaniard in 2014 after boyhood club Barcelona let him go, with Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea pouncing.
Fabregas starred as he finally won the Premier League in 2014/15, and repeated the trick two years later under Antonio Conte.
| Fabregas at Arsenal & Chelsea | Arsenal | Chelsea |
|---|---|---|
| Seasons | 8 | 4.5 |
| Transfer fee | £2.25m | £30m |
| Signed from | Barcelona | Barcelona |
| Major trophies won | 1 | 5 |
1: Ashley Cole
Arsenal 1999-2006; Chelsea 2006-2014
Perhaps the most consistent and successful player to turn out for both teams, Ashley Cole won trophies galore for Arsenal and Chelsea, becoming each side’s starring left-back across 15 years at the top level.
A Premier League Invincible with Arsenal, his time at his boyhood club ended in less-than-amicable circumstances, with a tapping-up scandal surrounding his move to Chelsea and the defender reportedly nearly crashing his car after hearing of a below-par contract offer from the Gunners.
Cole let his football do the talking once sealing his £5m move to Stamford Bridge, winning the FA Cup in his first season before lifting the Premier League and Champions League for the Blues in a glittering career.
| Cole at Arsenal & Chelsea | Arsenal | Chelsea |
|---|---|---|
| Seasons | 7 | 8 |
| Transfer fee | £0 | £5m |
| Signed from | Youth academy | Arsenal |
| Major trophies won | 5 | 8 |
