A player with ambitions of winning the Premier League probably isn’t signing for Arsenal.The Gunners haven’t been champions of England since 2004 and since finishing second in 2016 (by 10 points, might we add), they haven’t placed higher than fifth.Arsenal have retained an ability to attract world-class players, signing Mesut Ozil in 2013 and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in 2018, but they’ve also been a stepping stone for many players in recent years.Robin van Persie left in 2012 and was a Premier League champion a year later.Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s story is similar. He left Arsenal in 2017 and is now a Champions League winner, and it won’t be long before he’s got a Premier League winner’s medal.Now that we come to think of it, a LOT of players have flourished after leaving Arsenal.
And a Chelsea fan has included them all in his video which dubs Arsenal ‘Stepping Stone FC’.Ashley Cole, Cesc Fabregas, Bacary Sagna and Samir Nasri are all featured in the video, which has racked up more than 7,000 retweets on Twitter.Even Olivier Giroud, who scored against Arsenal as Chelsea defeated their London rivals in the 2019 Europa League final, is included.
Just how bad has it gotten? Last year, Barcelona’s Frenkie De Jong admitted he only planned to join Arsenal as a means to eventually sign for the Spanish giants.
“In my mind, I have had the following list for a long time: Ajax-Arsenal-Barcelona, ​​call it the Marc Overmars route,” De Jong said after joining Barça straight from Ajax, per The Sun.
"But then again, if you can go directly to Barcelona, ​​then you are right where you want to be. Faster than you ever dared to dream."
When it comes to the Premier League's biggest banter clubs, the Gunners are certainly close to the very top.