10 Players Who Probably Regretted Joining Arsenal

Arsenal€'s reputation in the latter years of the Arsene Wenger era was one of letting star names leave for supposedly greener pastures when they should have been fighting tooth and nail to keep them. The likes of Robin van Persie, Patrick Vieira, Cesc Fabregas, Thierry Henry, Ashley Cole and Samir Nasri were all sold when it was believed they still had far more to offer. Even as Wenger's wallet was slowly prised open as criticisms of his tenure became increasingly vociferous, enormous signings such as Mesut Özil and Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang were still offset by the sales of superstars such as Thomas Vermaelen and Alexis Sanchez.

The Professor often weathered opprobrium for letting his best players fly the roost, but his supposed shrewd eye for the transfer market largely let him off the hook for transfers of the other sort: those acquisitions who never should have signed for Arsenal in the first place. Kim Kallstrom, anyone? We raise you an Igor Stepanovs.

It's not just fans who wish certain Arsenal players hadn't alighted in north London. There's a contingent of ex-Gunners who probably regret their own misfire in signing on for the capital club, whether it's because the club's failing fortunes put a speed-bump on their road to glory, they spent most of their time learning the finer details of bench leather, or simply hated the acquired taste of English life. Hopefully Unai Emery's fusiliers will fare better.