8 Players That Arsenal Sold to Direct Rivals Amid Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's Liverpool Move
A deadline day where Arsenal seem desperate to help their Premier League rivals as much as possible.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's £40m to Liverpool has been confirmed as Wenger decides not to let him leave for free next summer, and for much of today it looked like it could get even worse.
Alexis Sanchez looked certain to join Manchester City for a rumoured £60m move, but due to a lack of replacements Arsenal look set to hold firm and resist the advances of Pep Guardiola.
This is a surprising show of strength from Arsenal, as they have not exactly been reluctant in the past to sell players to direct rivals. Here are eight instances of Arsenal selling first-team players to fellow title challengers.
1. Robin van Persie
There really could be nobody else to kick off this list.
Robin van Persie spent eight happy seasons at Arsenal, becoming their captain and star player as he scored thirty-seven goals in the 2011/12 season.
Unfortunately, the supposed little boy inside of him decided to speak up and convince him to join Manchester United. Arsene Wenger was in no mood to upset the little boy, and sanctioned a £22.5m to their huge rivals to send Arsenal fans into disbelief.
2. Samir Nasri
Samir Nasri spent just the three seasons at Arsenal, starring in the 2010/11 season with ten league goals as he made it into the Premier League Team of the Season.
This would prove to be his final season at Arsenal, and even though Wenger spent the summer denying Nasri would be sold this would prove to be a complete lie.
Nasri went to Manchester City for £25m and, like van Persie, went on to win the Premier League once leaving the Gunners.
3. Ashley Cole
Ashley 'Cashley' Cole was one of the original Arsenal players to abandon ship and join a close rival, as the left-back left Arsene Wenger's side behind to join Chelsea.
Cole had been a crucial part of Arsenal's success in the early 2000s, being first-choice in his position during the unbeaten season of 2003/04.
Unfortunately for Arsenal fans, Cole was "trembling with anger" at the wages offered to him and he skipped off to Chelsea to earn much more money. Shameless.
4. Emmanuel Adebayor
Emmanuel Adebayor went above and beyond the call of duty when it came to joining rivals from Arsenal, leaving Arsene Wenger's side in July 2009 for £25m and celebrated wildly when he scored against them that season.
He had been a regular goalscorer for Arsenal, scoring thirty goals in the 2007/08 season, and that was enough to persuade Man City to take the player from Arsenal's grasp.
Just to make himself even more hated amongst Arsenal fans, Adebayor decided to join Tottenham in 2011 and stayed at White Hart Lane for four seasons.
5. Bacary Sagna
Bacary Sagna left it later than most Arsenal players to join a rival club, spending seven years in north London before inevitably joining Manchester City.
After his contract came to an end after the 2013/14 season, Arsenal offered him another two-year extension but Sagna was apparently reluctant to spend anymore time playing first-team football.
He joined Manchester City ahead of the 2014/15 season, when he would make just nine league appearances.
6. Gael Clichy
Could really just copy and paste most of these, as Manchester City has regularly been a destination for many an Arsenal player.
Gael Clichy was at Arsenal from 2003 to 2011, and was first-choice left-back for the final five seasons he spent at the club before Man City hoovered him up in July 2007 for £8m.
Clichy won two Premier Leagues during his time in Manchester, before being released at the end of last season.
7. William Gallas
What a good shift William Gallas put in, playing for Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham.
Joining Arsenal in 2006, Gallas was given the number 10 shirt due to be Dennis Bergkamp's natural successor, and even went on to captain the club in a remarkable four season spell at Arsenal.
Talks of a new contract stalled as Arseanl refused to cave in to Gallas' wage demands, and he joined Tottenham the following season as a free agent.
8. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
The most recent addition to this most prestigious of lists is Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who today has his £40m from Arsenal to Liverpool confirmed.
A move to a rival was inevitable, with Chelsea and Liverpool the only real contenders for his signature, and the offer of Klopp and no football at wingback proved enough for the Ox to choose Anfield.
Oxlade-Chamberlain had been at Arsenal for six seasons, but with his contract up next season Wenger decided he had to cash in this summer.
