With Alexis Sanchez potentially set to force a move away from Arsenal this summer or leave on a free next year, we look back at Arsenal’s top five traitors.
Although Arsene Wenger claims Alexis will be staying at Arsenal this summer, the Chilean looks set on a move one way or another.
While most wouldn’t necessarily paint him as a traitor right now, if he was to force a move to a rival, such as Manchester City, right when Arsenal need him, Gooners would change their tune pretty quickly.
With this in mind, which Arsenal ‘traitor’ makes your blood boil the most?
5. Robin van Persie
After seven years of injury problems, in 2011/12, RvP finally managed to stay fit for more than five minutes.
The striker scored 37 goals over all competitions; 30 in the Premier League alone.
However, with just one year left on his deal, the Dutchman found it painfully easy to request a move to Manchester United, one of Arsenal’s bitterest rivals.
One good season and Van Persie was off to Manchester, almost single-handedly winning them the Premier League title.
4. Samir Nasri
Nasri signed for Arsenal from Marseille in 2008 and excited Gooners more or less instantly, making his debut on 30 July 2008 in a friendly match against Stuttgart.
After scoring 18 goals in 86 appearances, the Frenchman appeared unhappy with his lack of playing time in one position, since he was second to Cesc Fabregas in the pecking order and therefore when the Spaniard was fit, he was pushed out wide.
With just one year left on his deal, Nasri turned down a new contract with Arsenal and then also refused to play in Champions League qualifiers against Udinese, allegedly because he didn’t want to get cup-tied.
As soon as Manchester City came a-knocking, it didn’t take long for the midfielder to decide where he wanted to be, considering they could pay far more wages.
3. William Gallas
Gallas moved to Arsenal from Chelsea in 2006 as part of a swap deal for Ashley Cole and was given the #10 shirt because #3 was ‘uncomfortable’ for him and all the others were taken.
In August 2007 he was made captain and the defender went on to make over 100 appearances for the Gunners. However, a year later he was stripped of his armband and benched following some pretty harsh comments in which he claimed that Arsenal’s younger players were cowards.
In 2010, the Frenchman decided to sign for Spurs after running down his contract, just four years after signing for Arsenal.
2. Emmanuel Adebayor
Although Adebayor wasn’t the most predictable of striker’s while at Arsenal, it was his actions after he signed for rivals City after their takeover that have made him a Gooner hate figure.
During Arsenal and City’s first meeting since the Togolese striker moved, Ade scored a later winner and proceeded to sprint the length of the pitch just to celebrate in front of the traveling fans, which was a little odd to say the least. Not that players shouldn’t celebrate if they sign for a new club but it was more than a tad over the top.
What was even worse were reports from Fabregas, Alex Song, and RvP that Ade had stomped on, slapped and kicked them during the match, the latter of which he faced a ban for.
Ade signed for Spurs in 2012 after a season-long loan spell.
1. Ashley Cole
Cashley signed from boyhood club Arsenal for Chelsea in 2006 as part of a swap deal for Gallas after allegedly being tapped up by Jose Mourinho and Chelsea executive, Peter Kenyon.
After all parties were fined by the FA for illegal contact, Cashley claimed that Arsenal had used him as a ‘scapegoat’, which the club denied.
The England international later admitted that he’d been ‘trembling in anger’ at the new contract Arsenal had offered him: £55k-per-week.