5 Arsenal players who left and became successful elsewhere

Nearly 250 players have played under Arsene Wenger, meaning there are a few who have not succeeded at Arsenal, but have elsewhere. Likewise, Sir Alex Ferguson previously allowed both Paul Pogba and Gerard Pique to leave Manchester United for free, and United eventually ended up buying Pogba back for a huge fee.

Not every player is able to succeed at a particular club, but Arsenal and their fans may have sometimes looked at some players and felt that each was the ‘one that got away’.

Here are five players who failed to succeed at Arsenal but had successful careers at other clubs:

#5 Sylvinho

Sylvinho gained many admirers at Arsenal and was certainly not a flop. However, once Ashley Cole overtook the Brazilian in his second season at Arsenal, he was unlikely to get his spot back in the side, and moved to Celta Vigo at the end of that second season.

After a good spell at Celta Vigo, the Brazilian got a dream move to Barcelona in 2004, where he would then spend five years.

At Barcelona, Sylvinho made 125 appearances in all competitions, which possibly made some Arsenal fans think that if he was good enough for Barcelona, why was he not good enough for the Gunners? In his time at Barcelona, he won three league titles, a Copa del Rey and two Champions League titles. Most notably, he played the full 90 minutes and was part of the back four which kept a clean sheet against Manchester United in the Champions League final in 2009.

#4 Carlos Vela

Vela was named Real Sociedad's Player of the Year twice

Carlos Vela is the king of chipped finishes. The Mexican had such great technical ability that he flourished in the games against lower teams in which he was able to show what he was capable of. At Arsenal, he spent three years in and around the first team from 2008-2011, where he made 29 league appearances, most of them from the bench.

After his seven-year stint at Arsenal came to an end, he made a move to Real Sociedad in Spain. The Mexican has been an established first teamer at Sociedad ever since he has joined them. He has twice been named Real Sociedad's Player of the Year, once when on loan in 2011/12 and once again in 2013/14. In addition to that, he has twice been named the Player of the Month in La Liga, which is no mean feat considering the amount of quality there is in Spain.

He has 65 goals in his 204 games for Sociedad, getting into double figures in his first three years. His goal record hasn’t been outstanding, but he has managed to eke out a successful career, recovering from his disappointing time with the Gunners.

#3 Lassana Diarra

Diarra found his feet in Spain with Real Madrid

Aged just 22 in 2007, Lassana Diarra moved to the Gunners from league rivals Chelsea. However, his time at Arsenal was short lived. He made just 13 appearances in all competitions with Arsenal and was moved on after just five months, suggesting Arsene Wenger saw no promise in the young Frenchman.

After a very good second half to the season with Portsmouth, he earned himself a place in France’s Euro 2008 squad and claimed he’d ‘justified his decision’ to leave Arsenal.

In December 2008, Portsmouth then agreed a fee with Real Madrid of around £19 million to allow the Frenchman to move to the Spanish giants, where he would prove his critics wrong. In his first season, he earned himself a spot in UEFA's 2008–09 La Liga Breakthrough Team, having only played half the season.

Overall, he went on to make 117 appearances in all competitions, winning a La Liga and Copa del Rey title in a successful stint with the Galacticos.

#2 Oguzhan Ozyakup

Ozyakup is an integral part of Benfica's side

24-year-old Oguzhan Ozyakup is one player Arsene Wenger may feel he let slip away. The Turkish international is an integral part of the Besiktas side who have now won the Turkish Super Lig title two years running.

Ozyakup was part of the 2009 FA Youth Cup winning side for Arsenal, which also included Jack Wilshere, Francis Coquelin and Henri Lansbury. He never featured for the Gunners in the Premier League, but was named on the bench for Arsenal’s 3-0 win over AC Milan at home in the last 16 of the Champions League. He also made two League Cup appearances for the Wenger-led side.

Due to his limited game time, the club and Ozyakup came to an agreement for him to be sold to Besiktas where he has been hugely successful.

Furthermore, Ozyakup has become an important part of the Turkish national team, making 25 appearances and scoring one goal. Arda Turan called Ozyakup ‘outstanding’ and said that he would become the leader once Turan leaves the national team.

He has also been named the third captain for Besiktas, as he is considered somewhat of a leader for the Turkish side.

#1 Serge Gnabry

Gnabry scored just one goal in an Arsenal shirt

In 2013, Serge Gnabry, for a short time, became a starter for Arsenal, scoring his only Premier League goal against Swansea in the 2013/14 season. However, a knee injury was to keep him out for over a year, disrupting his progress.

Wenger was keen to keep the German at the side, but a lack of first team opportunities meant he pushed for a move to Werder Bremen in 2016. After a very good year with Bremen, who exceeded expectations by finishing in eighth place, he has now moved to German giants Bayern Munich.

Last season, he scored 11 goals in 27 appearances for Bremen and earned many admirers for his performances, including Joachim Low. The German national team boss gave Gnabry his Germany debut and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands, scoring in his first game.

He also played in this summer’s under 21 European Championships where he certainly impressed, scoring one goal in the group stage.

Gnabry is another player Wenger will regret allowing to leave, with the German now joining Bayern Munich and living up to his potential.