10 Players Who Probably Regret Leaving Arsenal

By Sam Heard /

3. Emmanuel Adebayor

Adebayor may have had a slow start at Arsenal after signing from Monaco back in 2006, but by the Gunner€™s 2007/08 season he had well and truly found his form scoring an impressive 24-league goals for the club, making him their top goal scorer. However, a far less note-worthy 2008/09 meant that Arsenal were willing to let him go as Adebayor chased a juicy contract and a 5-year deal speculated to be worth £25 million at the emerging force of Manchester City. It was thought that the Togolese forward€™s size and relative surprising speed combined with his finishing abilities would make him an invaluable asset to the squad. After a relatively successful spell under the tenure of Mark Hughes, Adebayor€™s subsequent time in Manchester was far less fruitful as new manager Roberto Mancini wasn€™'t shy about expressing his disdain for the 6€™3€ forward€™s work rate. A half-season loan to Real Madrid allowed the two clashing personalities to avoid one another, though upon his return to City Adebayor nearly incurred a £300,000 fine for his refusal to train with the club€™s reserve and youth squads. Now having spent 2-seasons at Tottenham (as well as one on loan), Adebayor finally found some consistency in his career. However, it is likely that he wishes he hadn€™'t left London in the first place; particularly knowing how badly the Gunners needed a quality striker in the years hence.