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It's not uncommon for players to commence their professional careers at one club and go on to make their name at another. Arsenal have also had quite a few players who found their feet after leaving them.
With 13 league titles to their name - three of them coming in the Premier League era - Arsenal are one of the most successful clubs in English football. Considering their history and pedigree, the London club is able to attract some of the best talents in the game.
Five players who got away from Arsenal
As is the case with other top clubs, not all players have lived up to their expectations at Arsenal due to a plethora of reasons ranging from poor form, inability to adapt to a new club, or at times, being at the right club at the wrong time.
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Without further ado, let us have a look at five such Arsenal players, in no particular order, who prospered elsewhere.
#5 Carlos Vela
After top-scoring for Mexico in their triumphant Under-17 World Cup in 2005, Carlos Vela arrived at Arsenal to much fanfare, as the London club won the race for the signature of the prodigious striker.
Vela made his Arsenal first-team debut in 2008 but scored a meager 11 goals in 62 games in all competitions. Six of those goals came in his first season at the club, with his hat-trick against Sheffield United eliciting high praise from the then-Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.
"He is naturally gifted, quick, intelligent and with very good technique. So, now you want him to add that combative, determined side that makes the difference. He'll quickly be a world-class striker when he adds that to his game," said Wenger about Vela after that game.
Great things were expected of Vela, as he displayed natural flair, exemplary skill, composure in front of goal and a penchant for a chipped shot. However, things did not pan out that way.
Vela only provided fleeting glimpses of his ability at Arsenal before leaving for Real Sociedad in 2011. Despite consistency not being his forte, the Mexican striker prospered at the La Liga club, scoring 73 goals in 250 appearances in all competitions, leaving Arsenal wondering what might have been.
Still only 31, Vela currently plays in the MLS for Los Angeles FC.
#4 Jeff-Reine Adelaide
French midfielder Jeff-Reine Adelaide arrived at Arsenal in the summer of 2016 but struggled to make an impact at the club during his two-year stint.
During his injury-riddled stay at the club, Adelaide managed only eight appearances before moving back to his native country to join Angers.
Then Arsenal manager was impressed with the attributes of the former French Under-19 international, noting that his younger compatriot had 'all it takes' to excel at the club.
"My belief is that Jeff is ready to play because he has it all in his locker – the strength, the physical power, the technical level. He has to add efficiency to his game – that will come with games as well – but he will have an opportunity to show that I am right about him. And part of a career is to grab your opportunity when you get it."
However, things didn't happen the way Wenger and Adelaide would have envisaged. The midfielder struggled to make an impact at Arsenal but went on to flourish at Angers, albeit on loan.
Following his performances for Angers, Adelaide turned up for pre-season training for the 2018-19 season but was reportedly told by Arsenal that he was surplus to requirements.
Adelaide was signed by Angers that season, and the player went on to play 35 games for his club, scoring three goals, something that could have made Arsenal regret the premature sale of the young midfielder.
“It is true that I would like to speak a little less of Arsenal. I was young. It was complicated. There was so much competition that it was difficult to get into the coach’s lineup. He (Emery) told me that the club did not rely too much on me. I took a blow, but Angers were on the lookout. It was a new chance, a new beginning. The train does not pass often, and I was happy to get back in the right car,” Adelaide, who is now 22, said in a later interview.
#3 Ismael Bennacer
Promising Algerian midfielder Ismael Bennacer arrived at Arsenal in the summer of 2015 after making his professional debut at French club Arles.
However, the then-teenager only played one game in two seasons at the Emirates before he was sold off to Serie B club Empoli.
Bennacer was only too happy to take the step down to the second division in a different country. The player bemoaned about Arsene Wenger playing him in an unfamiliar position led eventually led to him leaving the club.
"I was thrown on after two other injuries against Sheffield [Wednesday), played wide left in a trident attack, which I had never done before. I felt incredible pressure and wasn’t sure what was going on. I never played again after that. I had to be at a club where they really wanted me. I didn’t know Empoli, but I accepted a move down from the Premier League to Serie B because they were the club who wanted me the most," said Bennacer.
Since his departure from Arsenal, Bennacer has helped Empoli gain promotion to Serie A and now plies his trade for AC Milan.
The 2019 African Cup of Winner with Algeria has become a key player for the Rossoneri. Bennecer has made his name as a tenacious deep-lying holding midfielder who is versatile enough to be deployed in a bevvy of positions in the middle third.
He has played a key role in the resurgence of AC Milan this season, leaving Arsenal wondering what might have been had the player been persisted with and allowed some time to flourish at the club.
#2 Donyell Malen
After impressing with the youth teams at Arsenal where he scored goals galore, Dutch forward Donyell Malen earned his first professional contract at the club in 2016.
A year later, he made his debut for the club, albeit in a friendly, in Arsenal's 2017-18 pre-season win against Adelaide. But Malen was then sold off to PSV Eindhoven, without making a competitive appearance for the North London club.
Malen, a pacy player with impressing dribbling ability and goal-scoring prowess, has impressed with Eindhoven. Last sesaon, he scored all five in PSV's Eredivisie win over Vitesse.
He has scored 36 goals in 81 appearances in all competitions for the club, a tally that includes eight goals this season. Such has been the rise in stature of the 21-year-old that Arsenal are already bemoaning the loss of the prolific forward and are looking to bring him back to the Emirates.
Malen is being viewed by any to be the long-term successor of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, but it remains to be seen if the young forward opts to return to the club that once rejected him.
#1 Serge Gnabry
Serge Gnabry is easily the biggest name on this list of players who got away from Arsenal.
The German winger commenced his professional career at Arsenal in 2012 as a prodigious teenager but found first-team opportunities hard to come by as injuries stunted his progress at the club.
Nevertheless, in the few appearances he managed at Arsenal, Gnabry caught the attention of the club's then-manager Arsene Wenger, who lauded the player's versatility, creative prowess and ability on the ball.
"It's a fantastic opportunity for him. He can play right or left or even behind the striker. He can even play as a striker. He has the quality to be creative because he can dribble, he can run with the ball, he can be a good passer and he is a great finisher. On that front, once the confidence level (rises) he will be alright. His physical qualities, his technical qualities are at the requested level," said Wenger about Gnabry.
Gnabry was subsequently sold off to Werder Bremen before Bayern Munich came calling for his services in 2017. The player hasn't looked back since, evolving into one of the most sought-after wingers in the game.
He scored an impressive 23 goals in all competitions last season, helping Bayern Munich to the continental treble. Nine of those strikes came in the Champions League, with four alone coming at Tottenham Hotspur in a group-stage game.
On the cusp of his 100th appearance for the Bavarian giants, the former Arsenal player has already scored 40 times and provided 24 assists with the 25-year-old blazing down the right flank with devastating effect.
Arsenal can only think of what might have been had Serge Gnabry stayed on at the club.
