5 players Arsenal should not have sold

Arsene Wenger's time at Arsenal is coming to an end after 22 long years. The Frenchman was hailed as a hero after his side clinched the trophy undefeated in the 2003/04 season. He has also led the club to multiple FA Cup trophies and, seen players come and go out of the club.

Wenger can be credited to grooming some of the world's best footballers such as Thierry Henry, Robin van Persie and Cesc Fabregas. They were highly valued in the market and gained praised from everyone.

When some of these players were performing to their fullest ability, they chose to leave Arsenal. Wenger has been pretty unwilling to spend too much on players' wages. That could be a reason why many players, who demand higher wages, have gone on to join others.

Looking back, it could have been a mistake on Arsenal's part for letting them leave the club. Here are five players that the Gunners should not have sold.

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#5 Cesc Fabregas

Fabregas is now a key player in Chelsea

The Barcelona academy product left for Arsenal in 2003. A year later, Fabregas was part of the Invincibles who won the Premier League trophy and remained undefeated throughout the whole season.

After eight long years with the club, the Spaniard made 212 Premier League appearances and scored 35 times. A huge dramatic transfer saga in August 2011 saw Fabregas return to Barcelona. It left many Arsenals fans unhappy. Things became worse when the Spaniard returned to London, but to play for Premier League rivals Chelsea.

Arsenal sorely missed the midfielder's skills and technique with the ball. Wenger groomed him to become one of the best players in his position and the team was generally built around him.

Now at 30 years of age, Fabregas continues to play for Chelsea. If Arsenal had not sold their captain and creative midfielder, the team dynamics might have been different and Wenger could probably have gone on to win more trophies. The Spanish international remains open to a return to Arsenal in a coaching capacity, but he is one of the players that should not have been sold.

#4 Robin van Persie

Robin van Persie has rejoined Feyenoord, his boyhood club

Robin van Persie joined Arsenal in 2004 after the Invincibles won the Premier League trophy. In 2009, the Dutch international signed a new long-term contract after months of negotiations and mentioned that his heart was with Arsenal. He was a hero among the Gunners and even made the captain when Cesc Fabregas left for Barcelona.

Unfortunately, he forced his way to Manchester United in 2012, leaving many Arsenal fans and Wenger disappointed. The lethal striker had scored 132 times in 280 games for the Gunners and was a popular figure in the club before his departure.

van Persie became sorely missed at the Emirates as Wenger was unable to find a long-term replacement for him. Theo Walcott failed to live up to the expectations set for him right from the beginning as he struggled with injuries most of the time.

After the ex-Manchester United striker left Arsenal, Wenger bought Olivier Giroud. The French striker did not have the pace as Robin van Persie and was not highly thought after by many.

At that point, Arsenal really should have done everything they could to prevent Van Persie from leaving.

#3 Serge Gnabry

Gnabry played a part in the Champions League playoff against Liverpool

Gnabry spent part of his youth career at Arsenal before joining the senior squad in 2012. In his four years under Wenger, Gnabry played only 10 times and netted once.

The youngster had to deal with multiple long-term injuries which prevented him from playing regularly. The winger was also being pushed down the pecking order when Alexis Sanchez arrived and the rise of Alex Iwobi who can play on the flanks.

After leaving the club, Gnabry had a great season with Werder Bremen, scoring 11 times in 27 games. His great performance attracted interest from Bayern Munich who signed him in 2017.

Joining Hoffenheim on loan this season, he has 6 assists and 10 goals in Bundesliga. At the tender age of 22, there is a bright future for him at Bayern and Arsenal should not have let go of this young rare talent.

#2 Wojciech Szczesny

The Poland international left for Juventus in the previous summer transfer window

Szczesny joined Arsenal when he was a teenager back in 2006. Then, he rose to the first-team in 2009 before departing the club officially in 2017.

The Polish goalkeeper was dropped from the starting line-up in early 2015 when he was caught smoking in the changing room showers after the match. His lack of form also forced Wenger to promote David Ospina to the first choice keeper, leaving Szczesny on the bench for the rest of the season.

After Petr Cech was signed from Chelsea, the 1.95m tall goalkeeper dropped down the pecking order and was eventually loaned to Roma. By the end of the 2017 campaign, he had attracted interest from Italian giants Juventus as a potential successor to Gianluigi Buffon.

Now, Arsenal fans are unsatisfied with Cech for being unable to live up to the standards he had set while playing for Chelsea. As compared to other keepers, Ospina is considered short and that leaves him with a huge disadvantage during set-pieces.

Matt Macey, Arsenal's third-choice goalkeeper lacks experience in Premier League and there seem to be no reliable player between the posts.

It is one of Arsenal's biggest mistake to have let Szczesny leave the club.

#1 Olivier Giroud

Giroud left Arsenal unwillingly

In 2012, Arsene Wenger signed Giroud from Montpellier on a long-term deal. He played 253 games for Arsenal and netted 105 times in his Arsenal career.

As new forwards such as Alexis Sanchez and Alexandre Lacazette came in, Giroud's game time was reduced considerably. He was dropped to the bench, but he scored on a consistent basis and had always been Arsenal's saving grace.

It was heartwrenching for fans to witness Giroud joining Chelsea. At the same time, it was understandable why he made the move. As the World Cup approaches, Giroud is in need of more game time instead of just sitting on the bench and getting 15 minutes of each game. He had to play in order to be selected for the World Cup squad.

Arsenal legend, Thierry Henry, claimed that the French forward did not want to leave Arsenal. Giroud's aim was just to play more before the World Cup comes and after signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Dortmund, it seems difficult for Arsenal to accommodate him.

The 31-year-old has scored 4 times in 13 appearances for Chelsea across all competitions. On most occasions, he starts on the bench and he has not lost his knack for scoring. Giroud remains one of the best substitutes in Premier League and Arsenal should never have let go of the Frenchman.