Arsenal FC: 5 Players Who Should Never Have Left the Gunners
In the past, Arsenal have had some certain players who without doubt possessed a lot of talents. A lot of fans believed that these players had what it took to bring the reputation of the club up.
Sadly, these players never ended up showing the true talents they possessed. Their early desire for trophies might have played a huge role in their respective decisions to leave the club.
They all still play club football, some have even won trophies, not necessarily from their efforts but rather the efforts of their teammates.
It is a huge possibility that if these players had stayed , Arsenal's trophy drought would have long been a thing of the past.
Kolo Toure
1 of 5
When he was needed the most by a spineless Arsenal team, Kolo decided to leave Arsenal and join an even lower club Man City.
He must have been attracted by the huge salary. This was like a huge stab in the back to the Arsenal team. Kolo knew that without him, Arsenal's defensive prowess would be left in question. He was the hero Arsenal needed, but Arsenal wasn't the city he thought he needed to save.
Since his departure, Arsenal's inability to deal with set pieces were immediately revealed, especially with the absence of Thomas Vermalaen. Wenger had to buy two knew centre backs, one of them being an insult to the words "defensive duties."
Toure on the other hand is currently serving a long time on the sidelines due to a ban he got for testing positive to using drugs. Manchester City, which he thought were going to win a major title, might as well win the title without his help.
Even though he might add a trophy to his belt, Kolo will forever be remembered by Arsenal fans as the guy who left at the wrong time.
Emmanuel Adebayor
2 of 5
I'm not really sure why he left, but Arsenal surely regret letting the consistent goal scoring Togolese man go.
Blessed with great height and surprising speed, Adebayor was a threat to every single defense he faced, especially against Arsenal's arch rivals, Tottenham. He always turned out to be the star in all the games that both teams met.
Adebayor made a shocking switch to Man City in the summer of 2009 for a transfer fee in the region of £25 million.
In an interview with espnsoccernet.com, Adebayor explained his decision to leave saying that Arsenal fans played an important role in it when they booed him in the Emirates stadium due to the transfer links to Barcelona and Milan. If this was true, then shame on those fans.
He also said that it wasn't his decision to leave and that it was Wenger who sold him, in order to generate money. I don't really know whether he was being sincere or not because the money Wenger generated from the sale of him and Toure has barely been used.
One thing is for sure though. Arsenal made a mistake by letting him go.
Alexader Hleb
3 of 5
If anyone had watched Hleb in his early Arsenal days, he/she would have concluded that the Belarusian was certainly one of the most talented players in the EPL.
Hleb possessed massive amount of skill and a magical foot that always had the ball magnetised to his feet. He was a good definition of a playmaker and a winger.
Hleb stunned Arsenal fans by moving to Barcelona in the summer of 2008. His main reason was to win trophies. His dream became a reality after Barca won the treble that season, but his playing time was cut short.
Seeing that he had no chance of establishing himself in the Barca first team, Hleb openly pleaded for a move to a German club. He ended up playing on loan for Stuttgart.
Right now, Hleb currently plays for Birmingham. A place where he can no longer utilize his God-given talents.
He certainly regrets leaving North London.
Mathieu Flamini
4 of 5
He didn't have the best of starts to his Arsenal career, but after several seasons, Flamini matured into a very solid defensive midfielder.
The Frenchman looked very promising in the midfield and stopped many attacks. At a point, people thought he was going to be the next Patrick Vieira, but just like others on the list, he left the club.
He joined Italian giants AC Milan, and since then, his performance has gone downhill. Luckily for him, AC Milan just clinched the Serie A title, and he wasn't an important part of the team.
Jose Antonio Reyes
5 of 5
Reyes departure was probably one of the most hurtful things to see. The Spaniard was a true gem and was destined to be an Arsenal legend.
Anyway, Reyes left the club for Real Madrid in the 2006/2007 season. He impressed the club with his ability to score crucial goals, but that didn't earn him a place in the Madrid squad. He went on to play for Benefica and Atletico Madrid.
If Reyes had stayed in Arsenal, maybe Arsenal would have had a more lethal attack, and he would have been a much more recognized player world wide.
