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The fanbase of Arsenal Football Club is amongst the most sentimentally invested and vocally audacious bunch in English football. When they love one of their own, they love him unconditionally. When the feelings are sour, they let it be known quite evidently. At present, the north London side are currently not the most adventurous and buzzing destination to be in England. But Arsenal were better than this.
Arsenal fans' bitter vibes continue to persist against former players
The proposition of European football for a straight 25 years and contendership for trophies like the FA Cup and Premier League allowed Arsenal to lure some fantastic talent. However, footballers of the greatest caliber thrive not only on affection but on a constant hunger for success.
When success became hard to come by at Arsenal, some of their crucial assets ran out of patience. These players desperately wanted to leave the Emirates and it severed their relationship with the Arsenal faithful.
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Here’s a list of five such players who left Arsenal in search of finding glory or money elsewhere:
#5 Alex Song
While Ashley Cole was tired of cleaning up his tainted image after being named “Cashley” by Arsenal supporters, Alex Song was never even bothered.
The midfielder, in his unabashed style, made his stance clear that his move to Barcelona was purely motivated by the money on the table. Song left Arsenal after a seven-year-long stay in 2012. The Cameroonian was not the star of the team for the better part of those years and had little emotional connection with the club.
Song really upped the ante at Arsenal after Cesc Fabregas departed the club. He would no longer play as the defensive destroyer, stopping teams from picking up their tempo. Strong with the ball, Song started clocking impressive stats and was really shining as a playmaker.
So when the news of his departure broke, many assumed that the prospect of getting to play with Xavi and Andres Iniesta was too good for him to pass.
However, the Arsenal fans slowly realized his intentions and that all Song cared about was the figure on the cheque. The midfielder, being candidly honest, accepted that the opportunity to earn more and secure a future for his family was more important to him than Arsenal.
#4 Emiliano Martinez
The most recent name on this list and rightly regretted is that of Emiliano Martinez. The Argentine ended his decade-long stay at Arsenal with the opportunity for regular game time at Aston Villa.
Following his departure, Arsenal have been craving clean sheets and though Bernd Leno is good in his own right, Martinez is certainly a notch above. In his first season for Aston Villa, Martinez got all the game time and more as he kept the goal for Villa in all 38 league games.
Martinez is blameless in this equation for having clearly expressed his terms to Arsenal. The shot stopper was going to stay at Arsenal on one condition and that would be as the first choice goalkeeper.
Mikel Arteta wasn’t ready to commit to his terms and demote Leno so he was sold for 20 million. Ever since his departure, Martinez has been very vocal about how his stay at Arsenal proved quite toxic.
Having been sent on loan consecutively, and six times in a row at that, Martinez says he almost fell out of love with the sport. In almost every second interview Martinez can be heard talking about how he wasn’t given his fair share of chances at Arsenal.
To the Argentina international’s credit, the previous two years have really brought team and individual laurels to the goalkeeper. He won an FA Cup with Arsenal in 2020 before exiting.
More recently, on his national duty for Argentina, Martinez lifted the Copa America and had a particularly memorable penalty shootout triumph against Colombia in the semi-final.
#3 Emmanuel Adebayor
It is a particularly sour relationship both in the eyes of the club and the former player. Emmanuel Adebayor left Arsenal and joined Manchester City in 2009. Since then, there has been no attempt to make amends from either side. The infamous celebration Adebayor committed to, in front of Arsenal supporters while playing for City at the Etihad, put the truce beyond imagination.
Though one has to agree that the Togolese footballer possesses a very decorated CV flaunting spells at Arsenal, City, Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur.
Adebayor wanted to be loved by the club, those he shared the identity of being Arsenal with and the fans of course. However, after three-and-a-half years of staying with the north London outfit, the striker could see the love fading. Arsene Wenger wasn’t quite interested in keeping Adebayor at the club and when the offers came at his door you wouldn’t expect him to not leave.
The striker has explained his side of the story to “that” celebration and says there were disrespectful chants from Arsenal supporters and abuses hurled at him. For the three years of service to the Gunners, the 46 goals he scored for them, this was unacceptable. So when he scored and realized the opportunity to have the last laugh was his, he made sure Arsenal were hurt.
#2 Robin van Persie
Robin van Persie’s deal was announced towards the end of Arsenal’s illustrious Invincible campaign in 2003-04. Joining from Feyenoord for just 2.75 million, Arsene Wenger landed a bargain for the then Dutch Football Talent of the Year.
Van Persie went down a similar path to club legend Thierry Henry. Starting as a left-winger, Wenger capitalized on the Dutch striker’s ability to play behind the striker and convert him into a complete force in front of goal. Van Persie made his debut against Manchester United in a Community Shield game.
In the 2009-10 season Van Persie was in the last year of his contract with Arsenal and renewed stating that his heart belonged to Arsenal. The following years saw him score some absolute stunners, equal Ian Wright’s record of scoring against 17 teams in a single Premier League campaign.
Finally, with the culmination of the 2011-12 season, Van Persie took a giant leap and won the Golden Boot in the Premier League for his 30 goals.
Though there was no shortage of individual laurels and admirers for the Dutchman, his trophy cabinet was still waiting for a piece of substantial silverware. With his mind made up, Van Persie was ready to leave the club and declined an extension. He recently revealed that Arsenal’s then chairman late Peter Hill-Wood, showed him how lofty their balance sheets were. This was particularly insulting for Van Persie, who cared little about the money.
A few reports suggested that Juventus would avail the services of the striker but Arsenal’s relations with The Old Lady wouldn’t allow the move. Eventually, Sir Alex Ferguson convinced van Persie that he would be an invaluable asset to Manchester United. The Dutch striker wore number 20 for the Red Devils and helped them clinch their 20th league title in his first season.
#1 Ashley Cole
Ashley Cole wounded the Arsenal faithful when he decided to abandon the Gunners in search of silverware at Chelsea in 2006.
In their fury, the Arsenal fans baptized Cole with the infamous “Cashley” nickname. The move itself was full of controversy and in 2005 alone there was an early warning that the left-back had little intention of staying with the north London outfit.
Cole met with then Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho and chief executive Peter Kenyon without letting anyone at Arsenal know anything about it. This saw both Cole and Chelsea receive fines from the Premier League.
The following year, Arsenal and Chelsea entered civil discussions over the departure of the English international in a move that saw William Gallas move to Arsenal.
The popular opinion is that Arsenal’s miserly approach to tying the left-back to a new contract worth just £55,000 a week was a big turn-off for Cole. But the player has been pretty vocal about his side of things and suggested that Arsenal had made him a scapegoat in all of this.
Cole was not convinced by the culture at the club with big names like Martin Keown, Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira all leaving. One would think that Cole was justified in his claim since Arsenal never felt the same again.
