From North London to glory: Former Arsenal players collecting silverware across Europe

In partnership with

Just Arsenal News

·19 maggio 2025

From North London to glory: Former Arsenal players collecting silverware across Europe

Eddie Nketiah and Matt Turner became the latest ex-Gunners, on Saturday, to add silverware to their CVs. How Eddie Nketiah can one day show his children two FA Cup medals with a straight face is hard to believe.

With the Champions League and Conference League finals in the next couple of weeks, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Héctor Bellerín could add European honours to their resumes. Mkhitaryan, in particular, is chasing a unique UEFA treble.

OneFootball Video

Arteta’s inherited squad finding success elsewhere

It is often debated among Gooners just how strong the squad was that Mikel Arteta inherited when he first became a manager. Partly due to the pandemic, it became club policy to drastically reduce the wage bill. Players who did not align with club principles were either sidelined or moved on. The Kroenke family should perhaps have ensured that any incoming manager would be expected to make the most of the squad he inherited.

It became common for Arsenal to either pay talent to cancel their contracts or send them on loan while allowing their deals to expire. When considering that many on this list were deemed not good enough for North London, it is a credit to them that they have gone on to lift trophies elsewhere.

(This is not criticism, more a bit of fun.)

Ex-Gunners’ post-Arsenal success stories

Arthur Okonkwo (GK) – releasedDespite joining the club aged eight, Okonkwo never made a senior appearance. Three of his loan spells were particularly successful, including lifting the cup in Austria and earning promotion to League One with Wrexham. Featured on Welcome to Wrexham, the 23-year-old was persuaded by the financial backing of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney to drop down the football pyramid. After another promotion, he will be playing in the Championship next season.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles (LB) – releasedIt is worth wondering if the 27-year-old regrets not embracing the role of makeshift full-back, a pathway Mikel Arteta offered that even led to international recognition. Insistent on being a midfielder, he never came close to fulfilling that ambition during three loan spells. Still, he made three appearances in the UEFA Conference League during Roma’s successful campaign.

Sead Kolašinac (CB) – releasedTo give an idea of how unwanted he was at the Emirates, Arsenal first loaned him back to Schalke, covering most of his salary. A free transfer to the German side fell through after their relegation. Despite returning to matchday squads, he later agreed to be released six months early. Having also left Marseille as a free agent, lifting the Europa League with Atalanta was a fairytale ending. Part of a back three, including at Anfield, he rediscovered form in Italy. Atalanta were the only side to beat Bayer Leverkusen last season.

Sokratis Papastathopoulos (CB) – releasedAlongside Mesut Özil, the defender was paid to sit at home in his final season. Not being registered for the Europa League group stages was a clear move to push him out. Eventually, he returned to Greece and lifted two domestic titles.

David Luiz (CB) – releasedHaving already won every major domestic trophy in England, Luiz returned to Brazil as planned in 2021. He has since added two Copa do Brasil titles and became only the twelfth player to win both the Champions League and Copa Libertadores.

Héctor Bellerín (RB) – releasedRecurring knee injuries took away his greatest asset—his pace. A loan to Real Betis saw him prove his fitness and win the Copa del Rey with his boyhood club. Arsenal terminated his contract a year early after over a decade and three FA Cups. A short-term deal at Barcelona saw him earn a La Liga medal with just three appearances. Now back at Betis, he will face Chelsea on 28 May.

Lucas Torreira (CM) – sold for £5.5 millionReportedly homesick and struggling with the physicality of the Premier League, Torreira was moved into a more advanced role under Unai Emery. The pandemic limited Mikel Arteta’s ability to manage him directly. At one point, his father publicly pleaded with Arsenal to allow his son to return to South America following the death of his mother. Although subsequent moves to Italy, Spain, and Turkey hardly brought him closer to home, they did reflect Arsenal’s wage reduction strategy. After loans to Atlético Madrid and Fiorentina, Galatasaray reportedly paid just £5 million, although some sources claim his contract was simply ended. He has now won three consecutive Turkish league titles.

Granit Xhaka (CM) – £25 millionIf this were a film, Xhaka would have the last laugh over those who abused him and his family while he was club captain. One of Arteta’s first actions as manager was to convince him to stay, following Unai Emery’s refusal to play him unless he apologised for removing the armband. Xhaka never apologised and instead highlighted the daily abuse he and his family endured. By the time he left for Germany, many supporters wished he had stayed. Arsenal have arguably not replaced him. While his former team narrowly missed the Premier League title, he completed an unbeaten domestic double with Bayer Leverkusen.

(Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP)

Joe Willock (CM) – £25 millionA standout loan spell at Newcastle saw him score in seven consecutive games, prompting the Magpies to spend £25 million. Though he has never fully replicated that form, it remains a deal that worked for all parties. He came off the bench in the League Cup final to help end a 70-year wait for domestic silverware.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (CF) – releasedA decision that continues to divide fans, Aubameyang was allowed to join Barcelona for free after Arsenal refused to match his wage demands. While he scored 13 goals in Spain, Arsenal missed out on Champions League qualification due to a lack of firepower. By La Liga rules, one appearance qualifies a player for a league medal, making this his first title in Spain.

Eddie Nketiah (CF) – £30 millionOne Premier League goal for £30 million suggests Arsenal got the better of that deal. It was a big fee for a club like Crystal Palace to spend on a bench player, and they may regret it. Still, Nketiah is now part of their history. He scored in the quarter-finals and can rightly say he contributed to the club’s only major trophy.

Thoughts fellow Gooners?

Dan Smith

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

ADMIN COMMENT

So here are some simple rules which I must insist commenters follow….

You agree not to give any personal abuse to other Arsenal fans. Everyone is allowed to hold their own opinions even if you disagree with them. It COSTS NOTHING TO BE POLITE TO OTHER ARSENAL FANS.

CALLING ALL ARSENAL FANS! Anyone who would like to contribute an Article or Video opinion piece on JustArsenal, please contact us through this link…