So today see a certain Chelsea midfielder by the name of Cesc Fabregas celebrate his birthday, so in honour of the Spaniard we are going to take a closer look at the players who have spent time in London.
As we know the rivalries are fierce when it comes to a derby day in the capital the likes of Arsenal v Tottenham, West Ham v Millwall and Chelsea v QPR and nothing stokes that fire more than a player leaving a club for a rival.
The abuse given to these players at times goes beyond personal and is anything but banter, with some players even threatened by former so called fans upon leaving the club.
Most players handle the abuse and pressure and deal with the abuse but others have been known to crack in the past but it is just part and parcel of the game.
So our landlord here in The Transfer Tavern has been through the archives and has come up with his team of eleven London hoppers!
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PRESS THE IMAGE BELOW TO SEE THE BEST LONDON HOPPERS XI!
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Petr Cech
Not many were shocked by the fact that Cech was allowed to leave Chelsea last summer, people were more shocked that Jose Mourinho had let the Czech Republic international join Premier League rivals Arsenal.
The writing was on the wall for Cech at Stamford Bridge having lost his place in the side Thibaut Courtois, but no one envisaged that after more than 300 appearances for Chelsea he would be plying his trade at the Emirates Stadium.
Ashley Cole
When Cole left Arsenal for Chelsea it became one of the most controversial transfers in Premier League history.
Details emerged of secret meetings between the player and Chelsea and upon signing for the club he was nicknamed Cashley by fans of former club Arsenal.
Following the signing Chelsea and Mourinho were found guilty of tapping up Cole and were fined by the FA.
William Gallas
The French international made his name as no nonsense central defender during his 12 years in the Premier League.
He spent time at three different London clubs during that time beginning at Chelsea where he won a couple of Premier League winners medals before leaving for Arsenal as part of the deal that took Ashley Cole the other way.
He stayed at Arsenal until 2010 until talks broke down over a new deal which led the Frenhman to sign a deal with Harry Redknapp at Arsenal’s fiercest rivals Tottenham.
Sol Campbell
When Sol Campbell signed for Arsenal from Tottenham Hotspur the hatred towards the quiet centre half was intense.
Effigys of the defender were burnt and he became a Judas figure with the fans at White Hart Lane who just could not stand seeing a former fan favourite in a red and white shirt.
Campbell never looked back though and went on to win two Premier League titles and three FA Cup’s during his time with the Gunners.
Glen Johnson
Johnson is another who has spent time at three London clubs during his career.
He began his career at Upton Park during which time he took in a loan spell with Millwall.
Come 2003 and the Abramovic era had begun and Chelsea began snapping up the cream of young talent and Johnson made the move, he would spend 4 years at Stamford Bridge but he only managed to make 41 League appearances before a move to Portsmouth.
Scott Parker
Another player who never really fulfilled the potential that he had shown earlier in his career.
A near ever present for Charlton over seven years making over 130 league appearances for the club, before he was attracted to the bright lights and money on offer at Chelsea.
Parker signed for the Stamford Bridge side on a four and a half year deal worth £10 million, he would stay at the bridge for just a season making just 15 appearances in a torrid stay.
A successful three year spell with West Ham United followed before joining Tottenham Hotspur.
Parker joined Fulham in 2013 and was part of side that were lucky to have enough points on the table not to be dragged into a relegation battle.
Emmanuel Petit
The French midfielder played a major role in Arsenal’s title win during the 1997-98 season alongside Patrick Viera.
He became a cult figure at Highbury and fans were disappointed when he left the club for Barcelona in 2000.
His stay at the Nou Camp would be restricted to just one season, before he returned to England and London with Chelsea.
Petit would stay at Stamford Bridge for three years before being released at the end of the 2003-04 season.
Cesc Fabregas
The birthday boy himself is no stranger to life in London.
Fabregas began his senior career with Arsenal in 2003 and was part of the Arsenal invincible a side that went unbeaten in the league through the entire 2003-04 season.
During his time with the club he would become a firm fan favourite and many were disappointed when Fabregas opted to join childhood club Barcelona during the summer of 2011 for a fee of around €29 million.
He would be back in England with Chelsea in 2014 and in his first season back he would become a Premier League winner once more.
Carlton Cole
The striker began his career with Chelsea and he was tipped to be a bright star.
Inpressive performances during a loan spell at Charlton made everyone aware of the then youngsters undoubted ability.
First team starts were hard to come by and upon leaving Stamford Bridge he had made just 25 league appearances over a five year spell.
He joined West Ham United in the summer of 2006 and enjoyed a nine year spell at Upton Park and put himself firmly in the hearts of the fans for his attitude and effort during his time at the club.
Teddy Sheringham
Sheringham had a great career that even he could not have envisaged.
He began his career with Millwall in 1983 and would make nearly 300 appearances and score 93 goals over a nine year spell at The Den.
His next London club would be Tottenham Hotspur where he would score 76 goals in 166 league appearances, form which would lead to a move to Manchester United where he would become a European Cup winner in 1999.
Sheringham was back at Spurs in 2001 and as prolific as ever, before leaving for a season to Portsmouth where he would stay for just one season before making the move back to London in 2004 with West Ham where he would remain until 2007.
Nicolas Anelka
The undoubted talent that is Nicolas Anelka found himself as a youngster at Arsenal in 1997.
He would be at Highbury for just two years and would go on to make 63 league appearances and score 28 goals during that time.
He left Arsenal under a cloud for Real Madrid giving the North London club no option but to sell the striker after he had shown a lack of enthusiasm to the cause amid intense transfer speculation.
Over the next nine years Anelka would take in spells at six clubs before making the move to Chelsea for £15 million from Bolton Wanderers.
He would spend four years at Stamford Bridge scoring 38 times in over 120 league appearances, before moving on after being placed on the transfer list and told by then Chelsea manager Andre Villas Boas to train with the youth team.
Anelka is currently player manager at Mumbai in India.
