7 players who left Arsenal for bigger clubs

Thierry Henry is just one legendary player sold to a bigger club by Arsenal
Thierry Henry is just one legendary player sold to a bigger club by Arsenal

#6 Cesc Fabregas

Cesc Fabregas moved back to his boyhood club Barcelona in the summer of 2011
Cesc Fabregas moved back to his boyhood club Barcelona in the summer of 2011

Like Thierry Henry, Marc Overmars and Emmanuel Petit – who all starred at Arsenal before moving to Barcelona – Cesc Fabregas made a big move from the Emirates to the Nou Camp. But realistically, it was difficult for even hardcore Arsenal fans to begrudge him making the move – the Spanish midfielder had come to the Gunners in 2003 via Barca’s academy, where he’d trained as a child.

It took Fabregas some time to settle but by 2005/06 he’d fully embedded himself into Arsenal’s first team as a key player, and while he only won a solitary trophy with the Gunners – the FA Cup in 2004/05 – he was a huge hit there and had 8 seasons at the club, becoming club captain in the process.

By the summer of 2010 though, rumours were swirling surrounding his future – most notably when he pulled on a Barcelona jersey during Spain’s 2010 World Cup-winning celebrations. June 2010 saw Arsenal reject a €35m bid for the midfielder, but a year later, they couldn’t resist selling – and picked up a cool €29m for him, with a further €5m in add-ons. A season later, in 2012/13, Fabregas won his first – and only – La Liga title with his new club, finally achieving the success he’d failed to find at Arsenal.

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Edited by Arvind Sriram
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