As a transfer deal to send Arsenal winger Alexis Sanchez to Manchester United becomes finalized, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been repeatedly asked to comment on what the move means for his team.
In a press conference, the Frenchman shared his thoughts on what appeared to be not just the Sanchez move, but all other transfers he’s seen during his time at Arsenal.
“I cannot understand anybody wanting to leave Arsenal,” Wenger said, according to Matt Law of The Telegraph.
It’s not really surprising that he would make such a comment. After nearly 22 years of managing the same club, it can be tough to keep track of the plethora of roster changes that have occurred throughout his tenure. Luckily, Sporting News is here to help jog his memory.
Here are five players who will help explain why somebody would want to leave Arsenal:
Honorable Mention: Emmanuel Adebayor
Trophies: Real Madrid (Copa del Ray x1), Arsenal (0)
Did Adebayor go on to have an incredibly successful career after his spell at Arsenal? Not really. But his move to Manchester City did lead to one of the greatest goal celebrations in Premier League history. If a player is willing to run the whole length of the pitch to their former team’s supporters and celebrate in front of them just to be liked by their current team, you know they’re in greener pastures.
5. Thierry Henry
Trophies: Barcelona (7), Arsenal (6)
To deny Henry’s legacy at Arsenal would be intellectually dishonest. However, numbers never lie. After winning two FA Cups, two Premier League titles, including the “Invincibles” season when they went the entire domestic season without a loss, and two Community Shields, Henry decided he was too old to lead the Gunners to any more glory — and so did the team’s board.
At the ripe old age of 29, Henry was transferred to Barcelona for €24 million. The French international then won his first treble in the 2008-09 season, and became part of the most prolific scoring trio in Spanish football history at the time with 72 goals between Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto’o, and himself. In just three short seasons, Henry won more trophies than he did in England, with six coming in the 2009 calendar year.
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4. Ashley Cole
Trophies: Chelsea (9), Arsenal (7)
Ashley Cole was just one season removed from arguably the most impressive Premier League campaign in history when he decided he wanted out. In 2005, the English leftback was fined £100,000 by the league for illegally contacting Chelsea on a possible move without informing Arsenal. It certainly didn’t help that the Gunners allegedly punished Cole harshly for the tampering charge, and offered him £25,000 less than what Chelsea did when Arsenal tried to bring him back. Not only did he win more trophies at Chelsea, his successor, Gaël Clichy, would also find more success after leaving Arsenal for Manchester City.
3. Samir Nasri
Trophies: Manchester City (4), Arsenal (0)
It seemed like Wenger had finally gotten a player he’d been scouting for a while when Arsenal signed Nasri in 2008. The French winger had been noticed by Wenger as early as 2004. With such a strong player-manager connection, surely some success must have come out of it, right? Wrong. In Nasri’s three seasons with Arsenal, the club finished fourth, third and fourth in the Premier League table, and only went as far as the semifinals of the FA Cup. In his first season at Manchester City, the club went on to win its first Premier League title. Talk about immediate impact.
2. Cesc Fabregas
Trophies: Barcelona (6), Chelsea (3), Arsenal (2)
The summer before the 2010-11 season, Cesc Fabregas had a great preseason. Thanks to his key pass in the World Cup Final, Andres Iniesta slotted in the deciding goal that led to Spain’s first ever win in the international tournament. During the season the team was in position to win the League Cup, the FA Cup, the Champions League and the Premier League for the incredibly rare quadrouple. In the span of two weeks, however, Arsenal lost in the League Cup semifinal to Birmingham City, was eliminated by Barcelona in the Champion’s League Round of 16, and knocked out of the FA Cup quarterfinals by Manchester United. A few weeks later, Manchester United pulled away with the league in hand, leaving the Gunners to end the season in fourth.
Compare that to Fabregas’ first season at Barcelona, when the club won four trophies behind his 15 goals and 20 assists, and his second season when the club won the league. He would repeat his trophy-winning tendencies at Chelsea, helping the club win the league in his first season.
1. Robin van Persie
Trophies: Manchester United (2), Arsenal (2)
The 2011-12 season saw Robin van Persie score 37 total goals for Arsenal, establishing him as one of the top players in the Premier League. It also made him realize that if an individual effort as great as that wasn’t enough to win the league, then something had to change. After some soul-searching, he realized that change had to be Arsenal.
He said: "Out of my huge respect for Mr. Wenger, the players and the fans, I don't want to go into any details, but unfortunately in this meeting it has again become clear to me that we in many aspects disagree on the way Arsenal FC should move forward."
Instead, he agreed with Manchester United’s direction and joined the club before the start of the 2012-13 season. The first move for the Dutchman was to choose the No. 20 shirt after he was convinced that he would help his new club win its 20th league title. After a 30-goal season from van Persie, Manchester United did just that, thanks in part to van Persie scoring arguably one of the greatest goals in Premier League history during the final.