How the 18 players Unai Emery sold at Arsenal have fared since

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When all is said and done, it’s fair to say that the Unai Emery era will not exactly be looked back on with fondness by Arsenal fans.

After 22 years at the helm, Arsene Wenger was always going to be a tough act to follow, even with the struggles and frustrations of latter years at the club.

In the end, Emery was given just a year and a half in north London, with the Spaniard being given the boot at the end of last year to be replaced by Mikel Arteta.

But he still had his impact in north London. During his brief reign, he attempted to rebuild a stagnant squad and shifted on some players to make room for new arrivals like Lucas Torreira, Nicolas Pepe and David Luiz.

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Here’s a look at what some of the players Emery sold have been up to since.

Santi Cazorla

Arsenal fans were heartbroken to see Santi Cazorla leave in July 2018 but there was little they could do after the Spaniard asked to be released from his contract after injuries meant he had not played for the Gunners in nearly two years.

He later returned to his former club Villarreal and Gooners watched on in a mix of jealousy and delight as Cazorla has recaptured his old form and even earned a re-call to the Spanish national team.

Now 38, he is still on the books at Al Sadd in Qatar, where he has been stationed since 2020.

Jack Wilshere

Another player released at the beginning of the Emery era, Jack Wilshere joined West Ham on a free transfer following the expiration of his Arsenal contract.

He would later go onto Bournemouth and Denmark's AGF, but his career was never revived and he ended up retiring at the age of just 30. He is currently U18 head coach at Arsenal.

Josh Dasilva

Brentford benefitted from another lapsed Arsenal contract as they signed Josh Dasilva on a free transfer in August 2018.

The 24-year-old has become a regular in the Bees’ team since and has helped them into becoming a top half Premier League outfit.

Jeff Reine-Adelaide

Once tipped to be the next big thing at Arsenal, Emery let Jeff Reine-Adelaide walk for just £2million when he made his loan move to Angers a permanent one in the summer of 2018.

After an impressive first full season in western France, Reine-Adelaide was sold to Lyon in a deal worth £24million. The 22-year-old had an impressive start at his new club, but has three years on found himself out on loan, most recently with Troyes.

Chuba Akpom

He never made it at the Emirates but Chuba Akpom still managed to become an Invincible after joining PAOK ahead of the 2018/19 campaign.

The Greek side won their first league title in 34 years, not losing a single game along the way. As for Akpom, he scored the only goal in the final of the Greek Cup to deliver the double.

Fast forward a couple of years, he scored 28 goals in 36 games for Middlesbrough in the 2022/23 Championship season and is linked with moves back to the Premier League.

Lucas Perez

Spanish forward Lucas Perez followed Wilshere in making the short trip from north London to the East End as he joined up with his old teammate at West Ham in a £4million switch.

But he failed to establish himself at the London Stadium and was shipped off to Deportivo Alaves the following year. He is now at another Deportivo – the La Coruna kind – trying to help them out of Spain's third tier. He even paid his own €500k release clause to get the transfer done.

Joel Campbell

After six loans in seven years, Joel Campbell’s Arsenal career finally came to an end when he was sold to Italian side Frosinone in 2018.

The Costa Rican winger made just 11 starts before being shipped off on loan to Mexican outfit Leon for 18 months after failing to score in any of his Serie A appearances. His fortunes changed there and the move was made permanent, though he was later loaned out to Monterrey in the same division.

Gedion Zelalem

Another player who made the headlines with some blistering pre-season performances as a youngster, the Gedion Zelalem hype train had firmly come to a halt by the time Emery showed up on the scene.

After failing to make a senior appearance for the Gunners in over two years, the American was allowed to join MLS side Sporting Kansas City for free in March 2019 before signing for New York City on another free transfer a year later. He is now back in European football with FC Den Bosch of the Dutch second tier.

Aaron Ramsey

Perhaps the most controversial departure under Emery, Aaron Ramsey signed for Juventus on a free transfer last summer after his contract expired with the Gunners.

His huge wages were the talk of the town and after a brief loan at Rangers, he was eventually released on a free and snapped up by Nice.

Danny Welbeck

Arsenal also allowed Danny Welbeck to walk away for nothing and the now-32-year-old made the short trip across London Colney to Watford.

It didn't last long and he soon ended up at Brighton – but it is there where he has had a career resurgence of sorts, becoming an integral part of their team, as they qualified for Europa League football.

Stephan Lichtsteiner

Having arrived at the Emirates to be a steady hand in the Arsenal defence, Stephan Lichtsteiner departed in the summer of 2019 just a year after he arrived.

The Swiss defender joined German side Augsburg, where he played for just one year before announcing his retirement.

David Ospina

After spending Emery’s first season out on loan at Napoli, David Ospina made his move permanent the following summer.

The Colombian would leave the Italian giants in 2022 to become the goalkeeper at Al-Nassr, where he was later joined by Cristiano Ronaldo.

Krystian Bielik

Despite never making a Premier League appearance for the Gunners, many fans were disappointed to see Krystian Bielik leave the club permanently when he joined Derby County for around £10million.

The 25-year-old, who hasbeen in and out of the Poland team since 2019, is still on Derby's books, but spent the 2022/23 season on loan at Birmingham City.

Takuma Asano

You would be forgiven for forgetting Takuma Asano was ever an Arsenal player as the Japanese forward never actually played a game for the Gunners due to issues with his work permit.

The club decided to cut its losses when Partizan Belgrade came knocking in August of last year and the 28-year-old. An impressive 22 league goals in 56 games

Laurent Koscielny

Arsenal fans have experience with seeing club captains leave but it still came as a shock when Laurent Koscielny refused to take part in the Gunners’ pre-season tour of the USA in order to push through a £4.6million move to Bordeaux.

He lasted three seasons in France and is now enjoying retirement.

Carl Jenkinson

It was a little disappointing that Carl Jenkinson never made the grade at Arsenal but there were few complaints when the life-long Gunners fan was sold to Nottingham Forest.

It didn't work out for him at Forest either and now aged 31 he has found himself in Australia, featuring for the Newcastle Jets.

Alex Iwobi

There was a mix of disappointment and surprise when Arsenal sold Alex Iwobi to Everton in a deal that could rise as high as £34million in August 2019.

Inconsistent performances followed and £34m looked like good value, but he has since become an important part of the Everton team, where he remains to this day.

Nacho Monreal

A few eyebrows were raised when Emery allowed Nacho Monreal to walk on transfer deadline day in 2019, when he joined Real Sociedad.

The Spaniard scored on his competitive debut for his new side and it sparked a three-year spell at the La Liga club before he retired.

• Unai Emery
• Premier League
• Arsenal FC

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