Arsenal

Top 5 Arsenal villains ft. Van Persie and Fabregas

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Over the years many of our best players and legends have moved on to other clubs – the likes of Marc Overmars, Patrick Viera and Thierry Henry moved on in search on new challenges with sadness, but not anger in the circumstances of their departures.

However there have been plenty of once revered Gunners at the centre of moves to rivals that have not only turned their reputation with Gunners fans sour, but has seen them become loathed and scratched out of the history books at the club.

Here, Jonathan Kaney gives his run-down of Arsenal’s top FIVE Arsenal villains!

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Emmanuel Adebayor

It’s hard to remember, but at one time Adebayor was one of our best players. Signed for just £3m from Monaco in 2006, he was the big centre-forward we had been crying out for and scored an impressive 46 goals in 104 appearances for us.

Unfortunately, his time with us soured and he was the centre of a well-publicised transfer saga to newly wealthy Man City in 2009.

In his first match against us in a 4-2 victory for them at the Etihad, he stamped on Alex Song, slapped Cesc Fabregas in the tunnel and kicked Robin Van Persie in the face. Most infuriating for Arsenal fans, was when he scored for City, he ran the full length if the pitch to revel in the goal in front of Gunners away fans.

His behaviour and attitude over the next few seasons has seen him branded one of the most egotistical and hated footballers in the Premier League and after spending the last few seasons at Spurs collecting his wages from the stands – they hate him now more than we do.

It’s no coincidence that when Watford captain Troy Deeney was asked about him coming to Watford he said he would happily tell Adebayor “to go somewhere else” and that they wouldn’t sign a “bad egg.”

Samir Nasri

Another player who Arsene bought from France and developed into one of the best players in the Premier League was Samir Nasri, who jumped ship to Man City in 2011 for £25m.

Nasri played well for us in his time at the Emirates, but he is about as arrogant and obnoxious as you can get in football. His terrible attitude in angling for a move to City makes him forever hated by the Gooners faithful – particularly after the club had stood by him through poor early form and a bad leg break.

Some distasteful comments about being home in Manchester and being finally at a club with ambition did not go down well in London. He’s also a notorious trouble maker in the dressing room for club and country and it’s no coincidence that his international career is over because of personality not ability.

Robin Van Persie

RVP is a broken man in world football having been stripped of the Dutch captaincy, left out their national squad and struggling to get games at Fenerbache.

He’s a player who sums up a trophyless era for the club, however despite our struggles during his time, from 2009 to 2011, he was our best player and talisman.

RVP is another player raised by Arsene Wenger from nowhere to stardom that decided to stab him in the back and force through a move to another club. After a long transfer saga, he ended up at Man United in 2012, going on to win the league in a good first season for them.

He got his Premier League trophy, but after Sir Alex left the following season his form for Moyes and Van Gaal was poor and he was shipped out to Turkey where he has been equally as poor. He summed up his nations failure to qualify for Euro 2016 by being stripped of the captaincy and looks to be a player who is going to fall into obscurity. After the way he acted in his move away from the Emirates, it’s hard to feel sorry for him really.

Cesc Fabregas

It was a tough pill to swallow watching former captain Cesc Fabregas light up the Premier League and eventually help Chelsea to go on to lift the trophy last season. Particularly after he once said “If I ever wear a Chelsea shirt, you have permission to kill me.”

He can’t be blamed for moving to Chelsea after as he had few options when Arsene Wenger passed up the opportunity to sign him back. He can, however, be blamed for the way he acted in engineering his move to Barcelona in 2011, which ranks amongst one of the worst cases of tapping up in and bad transfer behaviour from a club and player in European football history.

By 2011, Cesc was Arsenal captain, he been raised by Arsene Wenger into one of the best midfielders in the world after he was discarded by Barcelona in 2003 and the manager and the board were clear – he was not for sale.

In a period of dominance for Spain at international level and Barcelona at club level, the Catalan’s decided they wanted Cesc back, and despite being told in no uncertain terms he wasn’t for sale, were relentless in their pursuit.

They used any means necessary to talk up a move for Cesc. Barcelona players and coaches were constantly in the media telling Arsenal they should let Fabregas go because he is already in Barcelona, would be happier in Spain, is being kept prisoner in London, etc. It escalated into a farce and was outrageous behaviour for a player contracted to another club.

Eventually, though with the media circus in full flow, it became impossible to keep him after Cesc went on strike and refused to train in a bid to force a move. He got his wish and signed a five-year deal in 2011, returning to Barcelona a hero and a prisoner released to go home.

How quickly things changed. After only two seasons, he became a scapegoat for poor form and was booted out of Barcelona after being constantly booed by the home crowd. His form for Chelsea this year has also been dire as they languish at the bottom of the table.

Ashley Cole

The ultimate Arsenal villain is you guessed it – Ashley Cole.

The former academy star and boyhood Gunners fan went on to become one of our best ever players and a stalwart at left back in one of our most successful eras. He was set to be the future of our defence as we looked to carry on our invincible season into a new era of success. However, it wasn’t to be. In 2005, Cole became embroiled in one of the nastiest cases of tapping up in Premier League history and became forever known as the ultimate Judas in world football.

Along with his agent Jonathan Barnett, Cole broke Premier League rules and ethics by secretly meeting Chelsea manager José Mourinho and chief executive Peter Kenyon to discuss a transfer to Chelsea. When it came to light, Arsenal were furious and the FA fined Cole £100,000, Chelsea, £300,000, Mourinho £200,000 and Barnett £100,000, with his agents licence suspended for 18 months.

Not only was Cole’s behaviour a disgusting betrayal to the club that had done so much for him, but he also infuriated Arsenal even more when in September 2006 – only a month after moving across London – he released his Autobiography My Defence, where he had his say on the reasons for the whole saga. He recalled the moment he was told that Arsenal were ‘only’ willing to pay him £55,000 a week, rather than the £60,000 he wanted.

“When I heard Jonathan repeat the figure of £55,000, I nearly swerved off the road. ‘He is taking the piss Jonathan!’ I yelled down the phone. I was so incensed. I was trembling with anger. I couldn’t believe what I’d heard.”

Cole went on to have a successful career with Chelsea, but is still one of the most hated figure’s in football with a long list of controversy’s to his name including, drink driving, arrests, and cheating scandals.

One thing is for sure, the name Ashley Cole is never said by an Arsenal fan without some harsh words to follow.

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