6 world-class players who dramatically declined after leaving Arsenal
Arsenal fans have had the pleasure of watching some incredibly talented players across their history but there are plenty of examples of those who fell off after leaving.
Many of those on our list fall under the spell of Arsene Wenger, who spent 22 years at the helm in North London. There are several reasons why players fall off from a top-class, whether it is age, the wrong club, injuries or perhaps a lack of motivation, there is usually something we can pinpoint.
With that in mind, we’ve identified six players who were considered world-class operators while at Arsenal but dramatically declined after leaving.
Emmanuel Petit
The French World Cup winner, who netted in the 1998 final, was deemed to be a midfield general in the late 1990s and revered across Europe for his quality, experience and leadership qualities but struggled for any success after joining Barcelona and then Chelsea.
At Barca, he was thrown in at centre-back and later revealed that the coaching staff didn’t know what position he played, which is certainly strange given his reputation.
Either way, niggling injuries restricted him to being just a squad player in Spain before he only had small spurts of quality at Chelsea.
He did start in the ‘winner-takes-all’ game at the end of the 2002-03 season which saw the Blues qualify for Europe, allowing Roman Abramovich to take over the club.
Marc Overmars
At his best, he was a lethal attacker with great pace that terrified the likes of Gary Neville and was a constant thorn in the side of Sir Alex Ferguson’s United side.
He played a key role in their triumphs in the late 1990s and was a fan favourite for his play off the left.
However, despite earning a £25million move to Barcelona, a fee which made him the most expensive Dutch player at the time, he failed to win a trophy at the Spanish club.
Overmars then retired early before coming back to play for Dutch side Go Ahead Eagles for a year before quitting football due to recurring injuries.
Alexis Sanchez
Perhaps the most obvious case of a drop-off on this list, Sanchez was one of the standout players in the Premier League during his time at Arsenal. Whether it was scoring goals or completing mazy dribbles, he was always a threat.
He was a real coup when he signed from Barcelona but when he left Arsenal as a 30-year-old for Manchester United, he looked a lost figure.
In recent years, he has opened up on the move and how it was a huge mistake and while there was some success as a squad player for Inter Milan, the player he was at Arsenal had disappeared.
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Thomas Vermaelen
The Belgian defender impressed at Ajax and earned a move to Arsenal where he formed a centre-back partnership with the experienced William Gallas.
He even earned the nickname the “Verminator” after his early performances and he even made the PFA Team of the Year in the 2009-10 season.
However, after multiple injury setbacks year after year, he was allowed to leave for Barcelona after being an unused sub in the FA Cup win in 2014.
He joined a Barcelona side which won the treble in his first season, but while there was continued success during his time at the club, he wasn’t directly a part of it and he later left for the Japanese top-flight and retired in 2021.
Kolo Toure
The Ivorian defender spent seven years at Arsenal after joining as a 21-year-old and he was a key figure at the back next to Sol Campbell in the 2003-04 ‘Invincibles’ triumph and continued to start for them at the back across the rest of his time at the club.
However, despite helping Manchester City to fifth place as they began their new era under mega-rich owners, he failed a drug test and was banned for six months, then phased out of the team after two seasons.
Toure later went to Liverpool, where he looked a shadow of his former self. Once he turned 30, it all seemed to go downhill.
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Alexander Hleb
The Belarus international was an unknown quantity when he arrived in North London in 2005.
But he quickly earned the respect of Arsenal fans and football fans in general with his efficient and technically impressive performances under Wenger.
After that, Hleb earned a move to Barcelona at a time when Pep Guardiola was at the helm.
However, he rarely featured across four years, and he spent the majority of his out on loan before then making 10 transfers in seven years before retiring.