Arsene Wenger has defended his decision to sell the likes of Kieran Gibbs and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, insisting players don’t improve after leaving Arsenal.

Gibbs and Oxlade-Chamberlain both left the club during the summer transfer window.

The former joined West Brom as manager Tony Pulis claimed he could help him get back into the England squad. The Ox joined Liverpool believing that he would become a better player under Jurgen Klopp.

Wenger, though, feels that not many players improve after leaving Arsenal. “Once someone takes the decision to leave I wish them well and focus on my squad, but just look at the performances of the players who left us and then come back to me about it,” he said, reports the Daily Star.

“Learning is an attitude in life. It doesn’t depend on your geographical status, but more of the attitude in your brain. Are you ready to question yourself every day to see if you can improve?”

Arsenal have lost a lot key players in the last decade, and while a lot of them have gone on to win trophies, their individual form didn’t reach the heights it did at Arsenal, in my opinion.

I believe while the likes Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie sustained the level they had at Arsenal, players such as Emmanuel Adebayor, Alex Hleb, Mathieu Flamini and Samir Nasri didn’t quite manage it.

In any case, it’s far too early to tell if Gibbs and Oxlade-Chamberlain will improve at their new clubs. Both players are still getting settled in a new environment. Gibbs will be finding form and fitness after a lack of first-team football, while the Ox will be adapting to a different style of play.