Arsenal has borne witness to some of world football’s finest talent over the years, but the elite level is a harsh terrain – some flourish while others falter.
And few clubs have embodied this relentless environment more than those at the top of food chain, but Arsenal have often been a bastion of development amidst the avaricious nature of modern football, with former boss Arsene Wenger not averse to cultivating young talent.
That said, some have not made the grade in north London despite their discernible talent, while others – not necessarily youth – have failed to make the requisite impact to cement a starting berth.
However, that has not stopped them strutting their stuff elsewhere and thriving on the big stage, so were their departures perhaps premature?
Well, given their recent form and Arsenal’s need in certain positions, here are nine players the club definitely let go way too soon.
1. Serge Gnabry
Sold to: Werder Bremen
Fee: £5m
Current club: Bayern Munich
Signed from Stuttgart in 2011, Gnabry burst onto the scene and immediately excited the Arsenal faithful with his combination of lightning-quick pace and twinkle-toed feet, becoming Arsenal’s second-youngest player to make his league debut after Jack Wilshere.
His rapid development saw him nominated for the 2013 Golden Boy Award, but a serious knee injury hampered his progress, and after a failed loan move to West Brom upon his return, he was sold to Werder Bremen, where he made an instant impact before joining German giants Bayern Munich. Gnabry showed Arsenal fans just what he is capable of in Bayern’s recent 0-0 Champions League draw with Liverpool, giving Andy Robertson one of the most testing nights of his season so far.
2. Wojciech Szczesny
Sold to: Juventus
Fee: £10m
Current club: Juventus
Arsenal have a shrewd policy of recruiting young overseas talent, and Szczesny was tipped to become Arsenal’s undisputed No.1 for decades to come when he joined from Legia Warsaw in 2006.
The 28-year-old proved a safe pair of hands for the Gunners after being promoted to the first-team but after a few sporadic injuries, some costly errors in big games, and the eventual arrival of Petr Cech, the Pole departed for Italian football – first on a two-year loan move to Roma, before signing permanently for Juventus.
Not even his successful two-year spell in the Eternal City could save Szczesny’s Arsenal career, and having initially joined the Old Lady as an understudy to Gianluigi Buffon, he has since proven an acute successor to the veteran gloveman.
3. Lukasz Fabianski
Sold to: Swansea City
Fee: Free transfer
Current club: West Ham
Dubbed ‘Flappyhandski’ by some sectors of the Arsenal fanbase, the 33-year-old has obliterated that moniker in recent seasons with his exceptional form between the sticks for both Swansea and, now, West Ham.
Another to hail from the Legia Warsaw academy, Fabianski never truly staked a claim in the starting XI during his seven-year tenure at Arsenal, but since leaving, he has excelled and has been one of the Hammers’ best players this season – if not the best.
His exploits have largely gone under the radar due to the performances of Declan Rice and Felipe Anderson, but those who attend West Ham matches regularly will tell you that Fabianski has a firm hand on the ‘Hammer of the Year’ accolade.
4. Carlos Vela
Sold to: Real Sociedad
Fee: £3m
Current club: Los Angeles FC
The name Vela should be whispered hushedly in north London as the Mexican often evokes memories of what might have been, such was his talent and potential when he joined the club as a prodigiously talented tyro in 2005.
He failed to fulfil his promise and he has since thrived with Real Sociedad in La Liga, and now plays in Major League Soccer, but he was close to joining Barcelona in January, so clearly his undoubted talent is still recognised globally.
Vela scored 14 goals in 29 MLS games for LAFC last season, helping the club reach the Western Conference playoffs.
5. Jeff Reine-Adelaide
Sold to: Angers
Fee: £2.7m
Current club: Angers
Rated highly by former coach and compatriot Wenger, Reine-Adelaide left the club in search of more first-team opportunities in the summer, and he has been a regular component of Angers’ starting XI this season.
The take-on-king is proving an excellent acquisition for the French outfit, and this one could really come back to bite the Gunners.
6. Santi Cazorla
Santi Cazorla's game by numbers vs. Sevilla:
91% passing accuracy
87 touches
4/4 tackles won
4/4 take-ons
3 chances created
3 fouls won
2 clearances
2 shots
1 assistLike a fine wine.
pic.twitter.com/hVefdGdvkI
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) February 17, 2019
Sold to: Villarreal
Fee: Free transfer
Current club: Villarreal
After a lengthy injury, not many were expecting a 34-year-old Cazorla to return to his best, but that is exactly what the diminutive playmaker has done, proving as lethal as ever with his eloquent movement and instinctive passing in the province of Castellon.
He has four goals and six assists this season in just 27 appearances. The synthesis of experience and his mesmeric footwork would have provided invaluable depth for Arsenal this season.
7. Joel Campbell
Sold to: Frosinone
Fee: £2m
Current club: Leon (on-loan from Frosinone)
With Unai Emery in dire need of wingers, Arsenal might have been wise to retain the services of Campbell, who many felt wasn’t really given a chance to shine at the Emirates.
Under better tutelage, the Costa Rican could have lived up to his hype. Instead, after a peripatetic journey of loan spells, he joined Frosinone in the summer, and now plays on-loan for Leon.
8. Lassana Diarra
Sold to: Portsmouth
Fee: £6m
Current club: Free agent
How Diarra only mustered a handful of appearances in the red and white of Arsenal is quite extraordinary, considering he played over 100 times for Real Madrid.
His latest club was PSG, showing he still has the talent to perform at the highest level, and given Arsenal’s frailty in central midfield across recent seasons, it seems almost ludicrous Diarra was allowed to part company.
9. Oguzhan Ozyakup
Sold to: Besiktas
Fee: £500,000
Current club: Besiktas
Ozyakup has been an ever-present for Besiktas since signing in 2012 and is consistently linked with a move back to the Premier League, such is his midfield expertise.
The Turkey international was never really given time to grow at Arsenal, and he is said to possess “Zinedine Zidane-like” qualities, such as his lung-busting runs from box-to-box and passing range – oh how Arsenal could do with some of that magic.
The post Nine players Arsenal let go way too soon… that they actually could have kept appeared first on Squawka News.
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