10. Losing Star Players To Manchester City
Jon Super/AP/Press Association ImagesOver the years, Arsenal have lost several star players to Manchester City under Arsene Wenger's watch. And while the likes of Paul Dickov, Niall Quinn and David Seaman left for the Sky Blues amicably and toward the end of their careers in the nineties and early noughties,
some crucial players have been allowed to join the Citizens. Kolo Toure, for example, was a key member of the Gunners's 'Invincible' squad, and helped Arsenal reach the 2006 Champions League final, but left for City in 2011. As did Samir Nasri - one of Wenger's best midfielders at the time - while in the summer of 2008, Emmanuel Adebayor was allowed to move to Eastlands. He infamously came back to haunt Wenger with a controversial goal celebration (above). Because of these departures, Arsenal gained the unwanted reputation of being a 'selling club' with rivals fans mocking them for being City's 'feeder side'. In 2007, when Gabriel Heinze wanted to leave Manchester United for Liverpool, United outright refused to sell to their rivals. This is not a strength Arsene Wenger has had as Arsenal manager, and both he and Gunners fans have paid for it by watching on with anguish as some of the club's best players have moved on to their foes.