5 Arsenal players who left and became successful elsewhere

#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.