Chelsea vs. Arsenal: Top 5 players to have starred for both clubs

3. Ashley Cole

Ashley Cole's move from Arsenal to Chelsea caused plenty of controversy

One of Arsenal’s greatest ever academy products, left-back Ashley Cole rose through the ranks with the Gunners to establish himself as a constant in their first choice XI. He won two Premier League titles and three FA Cups with Arsenal, and was a key member of the famed ‘Invincibles’ side of 2003-04 that won the Premier League title without losing a game.

By the summer of 2006, Cole was widely recognised as the best left-back in the world, but feeling that Arsenal weren’t giving him enough recognition and didn’t match his ambition, he moved to Chelsea for a fee of £5m, with French defender William Gallas heading in the opposite direction – earning himself the derogatory nickname ‘Cashley’ in the process.

While at Chelsea, the England international continued to be recognised as one of the world’s most outstanding full-backs, and he ended up making 338 appearances for the club, winning a further 8 major trophies in the process, including the Champions League, Europa League, 4 more FA Cups and another Premier League title.

During this time, he played under a total of 8 different managers, all of whom regarded him as their undisputed first choice left-back. Cole eventually departed Chelsea for Roma in 2014 at the age of 34, and after spells with LA Galaxy and Derby County, announced his retirement from football in the summer of 2019.