Top 5 players Arsenal have let go of

#2 Francesc Fabregas

Arsenal fans would have loved to have seen Fabregas return to their club

This one was a little easier to stomach for Arsenal fans. Their captain had given a lot to the club for over 5 years and wanted to return to his boyhood club Barcelona back home in Spain; it was an understandable decision by the player. Fabregas was, however, instrumental in Arsenal’s success throughout his time there.

Replacing Patrick Vieira at just 18, he remained the key figure in the central midfield for the following seasons, an inspiring blend of outrageous passing and excellent movement. He had been Arsenal’s only true world-class player, the one capable of raising their team’s level when it was needed.

Despite the player’s own reasons, perhaps more could have and should have been done to convince the Spaniard to stay in London, but what was truly shocking was that Wenger never really replaced his talents. Arsenal have been lacking in that department ever since his departure.

When one remembers that Wenger also never made enough effort to recruit Fabregas back from Barcelona when he wanted to leave and that he instead took his services across town to Chelsea, eventually winning the league title twice there, and Wenger's transfer judgment seems perpetually poor.