Why do Arsenal keep selling star players to rivals?

Alexis Sanchez

With the impending sale of Alexis Sanchez to one of the Premier League’s top six clubs, further fuel has been added to the notion that Arsenal are now currently just a feeder club.

No one can dispute Arsene Wenger’s legacy at the club and with three Premier League titles and seven FA Cup wins during his reign he is Arsenal’s most successful manager.

However, his decision to let key personnel move to league rivals has always been a bone of contention with the Arsenal fans.

In our latest blog post we take a look five former Arsenal players who have moved onto a Premier League rival.

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Emmanuel Adebayor

Although having a reputation as a player that was hard to manage, Adebayor scored 46 goals in 104 appearances for the Gunners and made the PFA Team of the Season in 2007-08.

He was surprisingly sold to Manchester City in 2009 for a reported £25 million which made the club a £22 million profit.

Adebayor will forever be loathed by Arsenal fans after he charged the length of the pitch after scoring against his former club to toast his goal in front of the away support.

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Ashley Cole

A key component in the Arsenal defence and one of the club’s ‘Invincibles’ which went the entire season without losing a game in 2003-04, Cole was sold to London rivals Chelsea in 2006.

In what was a messy transfer saga, Cole had been fined by the Premier League in 2005 for meeting with Chelsea officials without informing Arsenal.

Cole had been offered a longer contract to stay at the club with wages of £55,000 per week but he refused and subsequently joined Chelsea with wages of £90,000 per week.

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Robin van Persie

In a move that surprised many in the world of football, van Persie made a summer switch to Manchester United for £22 million in 2012 after an eight-year spell at Arsenal.

Having scored an impressive 96 goals in 194 Premier League appearance for the Gunners, van Persie maintained his scoring record at United where he scored 48 goals in 86 appearances and winning a Premier League trophy during his time there.

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William Gallas

Having been allegedly told by Arsene Wenger that he was a finished player at the age of 33, Gallas angered Arsenal fans by joining North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in 2010.

His career was revitalised at White Hart Lane and he is considered by many Spurs fans as one of the players who helped the club transform from a top 10 Premier League side to a regular top six Premier League side.

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Samir Nasri

Although Nasri had deep admiration for his manager Arsene Wenger, he forced a move to Manchester City in 2011 in order to win trophies.

Nasri’s decision to join the Manchester giants paid dividends and he won the Premier League twice and the League Cup during his time there.

It is safe to assume that Arsenal are a long-shot to win the Premier League title this year but if you fancy a flutter WilliamHill is offering fantastic odds on the main contenders to win the 2017/18 Premier League outright.