3 Players Who Made Huge Mistakes In Their Career By Leaving Arsenal (Including A Manchester United Star)

They say you shouldn’t mess around with something if it is going well, but sometimes, for reasons unknown, footballers do make rash decisions. To be fair, a lot of footballers make rash decisions either on the pitch or off it. Raheem Sterling could be on that path and well a lot of other footballers have made some rather weird moves away from their clubs which haven’t gone really well for their careers.

Arsenal have always had an easy transfer policy, they rarely are seen to hold back their players if they want to leave. Robin Van Persie and Cesc Fabregas might have won a lot more medals away from the club, but it doesn’t always work well for those individuals who seek glory more than playing time. We look at three players who moved away from the Gunners but had their careers stalled due to a multitude of reasons.

1. Alexander Hleb

Probably the saddest tale of all, Alexander Hleb was one of the best wingers Belarus ever produced but more importantly he was extremely bright for Arsenal when he joined them from Stuttgart. Hleb was a popular player at Arsenal, they had a song after him but Barcelona came calling and that is when things didn’t go as planned.

Despite signing for the Catalan club, Hleb only played 19 games in his first season, though he won the league, he spent the next 3 years away on loan to various clubs. Hleb’s career stalled and he now plays for a Turkish club after wandering around Europe for years. Hleb even stated that leaving Arsenal was not the best move for his career; well at least he has a La Liga winner’s medal and a Champions League winner’s medal from his time at Barcelona.

2. Robin Van Persie

This might be a tough one to call, but Van Persie did win the Premier League medal he so craved but at what cost? Just one good season with Manchester United and then it went all downhill for the Dutch striker. Van Persie has struggled under Louis Van Gaal as well, someone who was expected to bring out the best in him.

The former Gunner now is set to move to Turkish giants Fenerbahce, but he still could have been lethal had he stayed at Arsenal. At least that is what the Gunner faithful believe but now they don’t really give two hoots about Van Persie, Arsenal are stronger and well United are weaker as of now.

3. William Gallas

Not many would remember William Gallas, but he has the distinction of having played for Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham in the Premier League. The French central defender was used in the deal which saw Ashley Cole sign for Chelsea, he did have a great impact when he joined the Gunners but the old William Gallas problems started to crop up after a season.

More money, more time on the pitch and more problems that was the issue with Gallas and a new contract couldn’t be signed with him. He left the club to join Tottenham, but injuries played their part in curtailing his career. Gallas is now playing for Perth Glory in Australia, who knows what he could have done had he stayed at Arsenal.