Nasri, Tevez, Torres: The Most Disloyal and Greedy Players in the EPL

The prolonged Samir Nasri transfer from Arsenal to Manchester City came to an end this week as Nasri signed a four-year contract basically doubling his salary to approximately £173,000 per week.  Loyal Arsenal fans were left shattered as one of their best players left without addressing the fans and referring to City as "the club of the future."

Adding further insult was his reference to Arsenal fans not being as passionate as those from the blue side of Manchester. 

Arsene Wenger signed Nasri and made him a world-class player at Arsenal.  For Nasri to refuse to sign a contract extension and drag his transfer saga on without being truthful to the club's fans, he has lost the respect of those who adored him and sang his name from the stands at The Emirates.

Nasri continues to claim that his move was not about the money but for the opportunity to win trophies, This statement totally doesn't ring true and Nasri has become the latest member of the greedy and disloyal football player club.

Carlos Tevez: West Ham to Manchester United to Manchester City to ?

After helping to save West Ham United from relegation at the end of the 2007 season, Tevez, with the advice and assistance of his agent, Kia Joorabchian, joined Manchester United for the start of the 2007-2008 campaign.

Tevez enjoyed success with Alex Ferguson's side and became popular with the fans.  Although United offered Tevez a five year contract following the 2008-2009 season, he revealed that he no longer wanted to play for United.  Instead, he signed a five-year contract with United's cross town rivals Manchester City.

Despite his five-year deal with City, Tevez handed in a transfer request last December.  He eventually withdrew the request but it was foreshadowing for what was to come. 

Prior to the start of this season, Tevez again requested a transfer in order to be closer to his family in Argentina and expressed a general dislike for the city of Manchester.

This one has yet to be resolved.  Stay tuned.

Fernando Torres: From Liverpool to Chelsea

Pardon the pun, but these days it does seem that Fernando Torres does indeed "walk alone."  The prolific striker was a huge star with Liverpool and professed his love for the team and its fans.

Torres stunned the Liverpool faithful in January of this year by handing in an official transfer request to join Chelsea.  The request was rejected, but eventually Liverpool gave Torres his wish and sold him to Chelsea in a deal that made him the fourth most expensive football player in history.

Karma came back around for Torres as he went 903 minutes without a goal for Chelsea, while Liverpool finished the season strong with the signings of Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez.  To this date, Torres still has just one goal in Chelsea blue.

Wayne Rooney: Could Have Been a God, but Now He's a Devil

Wayne Rooney grew up in Liverpool and joined Everton's academy at the age of nine.  He eventually made his first-team Everton debut in 2002 and at the age of 16 scored his first goal against Arsenal. 

At the age of 18, Rooney's agent passed on a three-year deal from the team that Rooney grew up with and instead had Rooney sign with Manchester United.

Rooney had once revealed a t-shirt that read, "Once a Blue, always a Blue" after scoring a goal for Everton.  Now he had turned his back on his hometown fans and the club that he supported. 

After Rooney left his beloved Everton, it was said by many Evertonians that Rooney could have been a God but he became a Devil (as in a Manchester United Red Devil).

Ashley Cole: From Arsenal to Chelsea

Ashley Cole grew up an Arsenal fan and came up through the Arsenal system to eventually become an integral part of the first team.  He was a member of the 2002 and 2004 championship teams as well as a part of the "Invincibles" that went 49 games unbeaten.

In 2005, Cole was found guilty of attending a tapping up meeting with Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon, then manager Jose Mourinho and his agent.  He was fined by the Premier League for his part in the incident.  Cole later accused Arsenal of treating him as a "scapegoat" in the episode.

One year later, Arsenal offered Cole a new contract worth £55,000 a week to remain with the club.  This offer left Cole furious as Chelsea were offering £90,000 a week. 

Arsenal eventually accepted a large bid from Chelsea for Cole. From that day on, he has been known as Cashley Cole to many EPL and Arsenal fans.

Sol Campbell: Divided Loyalties in North London

Centre back Sol Campbell spent nine years with Tottenham.  When his contract expired in 2001, he was offered new terms that would have made him the club's highest paid player.

Instead of signing, he joined Tottenham's biggest North London rivals, Arsenal, in order to play in Champions League matches. 

Having previously stated that he would never play for Arsenal, from that day on Campbell became Enemy No. 1 and a traitor to Tottenham supporters.  He was jeered any time he stepped foot inside White Hart Lane and to this day he is held in contempt by one half of North London.

Gael Clichy: Hypocritcal Words

When Emmanuel Adebayor left Arsenal for Manchester City, Arsenal left back Gael Clichy stated, "I really believe that if you are a player who thinks only about money, then you could end up at Manchester City.  'You have to think if you want to play for a big club and have your image, or play for a good club and earn big money."

Two years later and Clichy seems to have changed his tune.  He rejected Arsenal's contract extension to sign with free-spending Manchester City this offseason. 

He then went on to say that he quit Arsenal because he was sick of losing.  Seems someone forgot to remind him that he was part of the reason that Arsenal didn't win a trophy of late.

Emmanuel Adebayor: The Ego Keeps Landing

What can you say about striker Emmanuel Adebayor?  He's a player with big talent but an ego that's even bigger.

Arsene Wenger signed Adebayor to Arsenal from Monaco in 2006 and he went on to become one of the Premier League's best strikers.  In 2009 he joined Manchester City after Wenger grew tired of Adebayor's attitude problems and cashed in.

As Manchester City continued to grow and spend Sheikh Mansour's money, Adebayor's attitude once again made him expendable.  After going out on loan with Real Madrid last season, City was quick to loan him out again this year. 

Now Adebayor is going to join Tottenham, where as a member of Arsenal he was once subjected to taunts and boos.  He'll still be booed in North London, but this time by Arsenal fans.

Adebayor seems to be living proof of "what goes around comes around."

Nicolas Anelka: Le Sulk

Nicolas Anelka is a talented striker but often is his own worst enemy.  His attitude has been a problem almost everywhere he's played, earning him the nickname Le Sulk.

Plucked from Paris Saint-Germain by Arsene Wenger, Anelka spent three years at Arsenal.  He was part of the 1998 double-winning Arsenal side.  The next season, Anelka lost the support of the fans after demanding a pay increase and for a perceived lack of focus on the pitch.

Anelka soon began his non stop tour of football clubs as his attitude always seemed to get in the way.  From Arsenal he spent time at Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain again, Liverpool, Manchester City, Turkish side Fenerbahce, Bolton and finally Chelsea, where he has been since 2008.

Anelka was not a part of last summer's French World Cup squad for making negative remarks about head coach Raymond Domenech.

Not surprisingly, the latest Anelka news has him wanting out of Chelsea after being overlooked by new head coach Andre Villas-Boas.

Andy Carroll: From Tyneside to Liverpool

Andy Carroll grew up in Newcastle and made his first team debut for the Magpies in 2006.  By the 2010-2011 season, he was a regular striker and one of the most popular Newcastle players.  He was even given the No. 9 shirt which was worn by former Newcastle stars including Alan Shearer.

In October 2010, Carroll signed a five-year contract with his hometown side.  Just three months later, Liverpool submitted a transfer request for Carroll and he was sold by Newcastle for more than £35 million. The bid made Carroll one of the most expensive transfer purchases ever in the EPL.

While Carroll insists he was not wanted anymore by Newcastle owner Mike Ashley and was asked to hand in a transfer request, the Geordie faithful don't buy it and still feel betrayed by the departure of their latest hero.

Dimitar Berbatov: White Hart Lane to Old Trafford

Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov arrived at White Hart Lane in 2006 after more than five years at Bayer Leverkusen.  In his two seasons with Tottenham, Berbatov established himself as a first-choice forward and became one of the best strikers in the league.

Alex Ferguson was quoted in newspapers as saying that he was going to sign Berbatov to United for the start of the 2008-2009 season. 

Tottenham complained to the league while continuing rumours of a Manchester United bid unsettled Berbatov.  By then he had developed a reputation for having a big ego and often complaining.

The saga ended on Sept. 1, 2008 when Berbatov was sold by Tottenham to Manchester United for £30.75 million.

Joleon Lescott: Everton to Manchester City

Joleon Lescott joined Everton from then-Championship side Wolves at the start of the 2006-2007 season.  He eventually established himself as an important part of the Toffees' defense. He was voted Everton's Player of the Year and Player's Player of the Year for the 2007-2008 season.

At the end of the 2008-2009 season, Manchester City were intent on signing Lescott and had two offers rejected by Everton.  Lescott then submitted a transfer request of his own, which was rejected by Everton.  Eventually, a bid was accepted and he joined City for a fee of approximately £22 million.

After leaving, Lescott issued an apology to Everton fans and criticized manager David Moyes for comments the manager had made about the transfer saga.  By then, the damage had been done.

William Gallas: Arsenal to Tottenham

William Gallas joined Arsenal as part of the Ashley Cole transfer for the 2006-2007 season and eventually became club captain at the start of the next campaign.

The beginning of the end of Gallas' Arsenal career occurred on Feb. 23, 2008 in a 2-2 draw at Birmingham City.  This was the game that was marred by a severe ankle break suffered by Arsenal's Eduardo da Silva. 

Birmingham were awarded a penalty in second half injury time and Gallas had to be restrained due to his out-of-control temper.  At the end of the game, Gallas sat alone on the pitch and had to be consoled by Arsene Wenger.

During the next season, Gallas gave an interview in which he discussed morale issues within the Arsenal squad.  He was stripped of the captaincy and left out of the next game.

Following the 2009-2010 season Gallas made what the club thought were outrageous demands during contract talks.  Arsenal instead decided not to re-sign him. 

His status as the ultimate betrayer was sealed when he signed a contract with arch-rivals Tottenham at the start of the 2010-2011 season. 

Frank Lampard: West Ham to Chelsea

Frank Lampard began his career at West Ham United where his father, Frank Lampard Sr., also played.  While playing for West Ham, Lampard Sr. became an assistant manager under Harry Redknapp. 

When his father was fired, Lampard Jr. vowed he would never play for the club again.  While the club that he had grown up with tried to convince him to stay, he refused.

When a lucrative offer from Chelsea came along, Lampard took it and left his boyhood club behind.  To this day, West Ham supporters have nothing but contempt for the man they feel displayed no loyalty and disrespected the club that made him.

Alexander Hleb: The Grass Isn't Always Greener on the Other Side

Alexander Hleb was signed by Arsene Wenger from Stuttgart in June 2005.  The attacking midfielder from Belarus settled in and enjoyed success with Arsenal.

When Barcelona came along in the summer of 2008, Hleb actually pushed for a transfer to the Catalan side.  Once there, he played sparingly and started just five games the entire season. 

With no playing time at Barcelona, he returned to Stuttgart on loan for the 2009-2010 season and signed for Birmingham City on loan for the 2010-2011 campaign. 

At the end of last season, Hleb ruled out a return to Birmingham City and declared his desire to return to Arsenal.  While still technically a Barcelona player, Hleb's future remains in doubt.

To this day, Hleb maintains that he regrets leaving Arsenal for Barcelona.  It's obvious that his career has gone downhill since that switch.

Gareth Barry: from Aston Villa to Manchester City

Gareth Barry joined Aston Villa as a youngster and spent 12 years, at the club eventually becoming team captain.

In May 2008, Liverpool had several bids for Barry rejected by Aston Villa.  Barry publicly criticized his manager, Martin O'Neill and said that he wanted to leave Villa for Liverpool in order to play Champions League football.  Although he remained at Villa, Barry lost his captaincy.

In June 2009, Barry left Aston Villa to sign a five-year contract with Manchester City, leaving Villa fans furious. 

Barry had wanted to leave in order to play in Europe and at that time Manchester City were not.  He is still viewed as a traitor by Villa fans today.