Top 5 players Arsenal should never have sold

Modified Oct 07, 2016 07:28 GMT

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 13: The Thierry Henry statue is seen prior to the Emirates FA Cup sixth round match between Arsenal and Watford at Emirates Stadium on March 13, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) — Arsenal have let go of some big names over the years

#1 Patrick Vieira

LONDON - JANUARY 23: Patrick Vieira of Arsenal is tackled and fouled by Lee Bowyer of Newcastle, during the Barclays Premiership match between Arsenal and Newcastle United at Highbury on January 23, 2005 in London, England. (Photo by Ben Radford/Getty Images) — Arsenal have never truly recovered from losing Patrick Vieira

While the sale of all of the other players in this list were truly damaging, they only resulted in the loss of an individual, a supreme player. When Patrick Vieira left Arsenal for Juventus in 2005, the Gunners didn’t just lose a supreme player, a perfect midfielder or a captain – Arsenal lost their identity.

Remember the Invincibles – each member of that squad dwarfed their opponents, in size and ability – half their games were won in the tunnel and Vieira was the embodiment of that. With one signature, Arsene Wenger ensured that his side was never the same again, as those giant invincibles morphed into skillful midgets who collapsed when the going got tough.

Vieira went on to win titles with Inter Milan, proving that there was plenty left in the tank. His last kick in an Arsenal shirt won the Gunners an FA Cup trophy, and that kickstarted a trophy drought that began to torment Arsenal fans right until they beat Hull City in 2014 to lift the FA Cup again.

Edited by Staff Editor