Top 5 Arsenal players who left on a free transfer

Over the years, Arsenal have been quite famous (or infamous) for their exploits in the transfer market, wherein the club has signed off on some questionable deals. Though they’ve also gotten hold of the likes of Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang recently, they also somehow signed Andre Santos and Yossi Benayoun, a few years ago.

To put things into perspective, the Gunners once acquired Kim Kallstrom, when the Swede was nursing a broken back, meaning that the midfielder only featured on a handful of occasions before eventually bidding adieu.

Apart from the rather uninspiring signings, Arsenal have also shipped off multiple players, despite those footballers seemingly at the peak of their powers.

And, while the payment of their stadium debt didn’t help their cause, they certainly didn’t cover themselves in glory when mitigating the mentioned factor. Subsequently, they’ve let go of several top-quality players for meagre amounts whereas they’ve also let a few footballers depart for free.

Thus, through the course of this article, we would focus on the latter aspect and chalk down the 5 best Arsenal players to have pursued newer pastures at the cost of the Gunners not recovering any money.

Without further ado, here is a look at them.

#5 Lukasz Fabianski

Lukasz Fabianski was signed by Arsenal in the summer of 2007 from Legia Warsaw as the Gunners looked for a long-term replacement for Jens Lehmann. However, the Polish keeper was never really able to establish himself as a vital cog in Arsene Wenger’s wheel, despite the Frenchman once claiming that Fabianski boasted all the tools to be the best in the league.

Unsurprisingly, the shot-stopper featured sparingly and was used as a back-up to Manuel Almunia and later, Wojciech Szczęsny. However, Fabianski did play a major role in ending the Gunners’ nine-year trophy drought when he starred in Arsenal’s FA Cup campaign in 2013-14, which culminated with a 3-2 extra-time victory over Hull City in the final.

Rather inevitably though, that proved to be his final appearance for the North Londoners as he opted to switch bases and move to Swansea once his contract at Arsenal had come to an end on the 1st of July 2014.

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#4 Sol Campbell

Back in 2001, Sol Campbell irked the white half of North London when he decided to cross over to the red half and don the Arsenal jersey. To pile further misery on the Tottenham Hotspur fans, the defender did so on a free transfer, meaning that the club were left ruing not selling him earlier.

Thereafter, he went on to establish himself as a colossus at the back for the Gunners, a run that was adorned by the 2003-04 ‘Invincibles’ season, wherein the club went unbeaten for the entire top-flight campaign. And, that achievement, coupled with the fact that he had made the move from Spurs, just infuriated the Tottenham faithful even more.

However, once injuries started playing a massive part in Sol Campbell’s career, he fell down the pecking order and ironically, was allowed to leave Arsenal on a free transfer in 2006, when he joined Portsmouth.

#3 Aaron Ramsey

The Welshman was plucked from relative obscurity in 2008 when Arsenal scouted him and brought him on board from Cardiff City. Aaron Ramsey went on to enjoy a chequered career in North London, where he finished with three FA Cup titles in his bag.

Often ravaged by injuries, Ramsey showcased immense determination to recover from a broken leg, a setback he had sustained against Stoke City. Though he understandably found it tough to hit his stride immediately, he slowly but surely cast himself as a crucial component of the Arsenal machine.

Towards the back end of his career in North London, the Welshman had become one of the longest-serving players at the club, meaning that he was entrusted with more responsibility. However, on most occasions, he responded with top-notch performances.

The midfielder was also instrumental as the Gunners ended their wait for a competitive trophy when he popped up with the winning goal against Hull City in the 2014 FA Cup final.

Thus, plenty were left surprised when Ramsey was denied a fresh deal in 2018, thereby paving the way for him to leave for Juventus in the 2019 off-season.

#2 Santi Cazorla

After promising spells at Malaga and Villarreal in the La Liga, Santi Cazorla embraced English shores with Arsenal and instantly stamped his authority on a struggling team.

Initially signed as an attacking midfielder, the Spaniard altered his game and moulded it to fulfil the role of a central midfielder, alongside Francis Coquelin. With the pair in tandem, the Gunners produced a few encouraging away displays, a change that was brought about by Cazorla’s ability to control the game.

However, in 2016, the Spaniard suffered an Achilles injury. And, even though that wasn’t considered to be too serious initially, it ended up eating away a significant chunk of his career at Arsenal.

Cazorla had to painfully go under the knife numerous times and had to slice open a part of his forearm to repair the Achilles tendon that had been dissolved due to infection. To put things into further perspective, he was once told by doctors that he would be lucky to stroll around in his garden, let alone run or play football.

Consequently, the Gunners decided against handing him a new contract in 2018. Fortunately for the Spaniard though, he remarkably recovered and found his feet at Villarreal again, where he has performed admirably for the past couple of seasons.

#1 Robert Pires

A part of Arsenal’s irresistible forward quartet in the early 2000s, Robert Pires was perhaps one of the most underrated players in the Premier League. And, though he encountered teething problems on his arrival, he still went on to become a valuable asset during the Gunners’ golden period.

Blessed with the ability to dance past defenders with ease, the Frenchman formed a telepathic understanding with Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry, meaning that he supplied the front duo with plenty of assists.

In the 2003-04 season, Pires dazzled with 7 assists whereas his astounding tally of 14 goals also enabled the Gunners to go an entire season undefeated.

However, akin to several of his teammates, the Frenchman also started waning a tad after that miraculous season, meaning that he fell out of favour with Arsene Wenger in 2005 and 2006.

Subsequently, the winger decided to not renew his contract in 2006 and departed for Villarreal on a free transfer that summer.

Edited by Sai Teja