11 Ex-Arsenal Players You Maybe Didn’t Know Were Still Playing

Since Mikel Arteta arrived at Arsenal, he’s helped turn the club from a team that was losing its way into consistent title-challengers. But a lot of work has gone on behind the scenes to get them there.

Over the years, multiple players have been sold under the Spanish manager’s watchful eye as he’s sought to turn them from pretenders to contenders. Indeed, that work started long before him, with the likes of Unai Emery and even Arsene Wenger looking to change the club’s fortunes by replacing existing talent.

What might surprise fans, though, is that a good number of players that Arsenal have moved on from are still playing the beautiful game at several surprising clubs. And GIVEMESPORT are here to take supporters on a trip down memory lane, building a team of former Gunners who have not retired as of yet.

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Goalkeeper and Defence

Despite spending five years at Arsenal, goalkeeper David Ospina was never really viewed as anything more than a back-up shot-stopper. After making 18 appearances in the 2014/15 season, he fell behind Petr Cech in the pecking order. He was eventually sold to Napoli after a productive loan spell, but now finds himself back in his home country of Colombia, where the 37-year-old is seeing out his career with Atletico Nacional.

Moving on to right-back Carl Jenkinson made just 70 appearances for the club over an eight-year spell at the Emirates. A two-time FA Cup winner, he signed for League Two side Bromley FC in 2024 following a two-year spell with Australian team Newcastle Jets. On the opposite flank is Cedric Soares, who now plys his trade in Brazil for Sao Paulo. The 34-cap Portuguese international was on Arsenal’s books until 2024, having embarked on several loan spells following a permanent move to north London in 2020.

Although he’s fondly remembered by Chelsea fans, David Luiz remains a much-maligned figure in the eyes of Arsenal supporters. Guilty of several mistakes at the heart of defence, the Brazilian was let go in 2021, going on to enjoy a four-year spell with Flamengo. Now 38, the Premier League icon is now playing for Cypriot side Pafos, where he recently became one of the oldest Champions League goalscorers.

Partnering Luiz is fellow Brazilian centre-back Gabriel Paulista. The pair never played a game together at the Emirates, with the 35-year-old donning the red and white shirt just before Luiz arrived. Eventually sold to Valencia, Paulista went on to win a Copa del Rey in 2018/19, and is now playing his football in Turkey for Besiktas.

Midfield

Despite initially showing promise after moving to north London in 2011, Joel Campbell’s Arsenal career never really got off the ground. The Costa Rican international spent several seasons on loan, as the club’s hierarchy hoped he could develop into the player who had shown so much potential. But that didn’t happen, so, after just 40 appearances, the winger moved on to pastures new. Having since played in Italy and Mexico, he’s been playing in his native country for LD Alajuelense since 2023.

Francis Coquelin was often an unsung hero for the club during what was a difficult era, but also found himself the target of anger from the fanbase due to several lacklustre performances — the less said about Eden Hazard spinning him at Stamford Bridge, the better. Spending six years in Spain since 2018 with Valencia and then Villarreal allowed the Frenchman to win a Copa del Rey alongside former teammate Gabriel Paulista, as well as a Europa League in 2020/21. He’s now back in France with FC Nantes.

The fact that Santi Cazorla was even able to return to a football pitch after his injury, which Arsene Wenger described as the worst injury he ever saw at the club, is a miracle in itself. To keep playing to the age of 40 in spite of that is even more impressive. Back with his beloved Real Oviedo, the midfield maestro is hoping to help his boyhood club avoid relegation from La Liga – although that will take some doing.

While Cazorla enjoys cult-like status at the club, the same cannot be said for Willian, who endured a torrid time after signing from Chelsea. The Brazilian made a bright start in red and white, grabbing three assists against Fulham, but went on to reveal that he wanted to leave the club just three months after joining. The Gunners obliged, terminating a three-year deal after just a single season. Having been a valuable cog for Marco Silva’s Fulham, the two-time Premier League winner is now playing for Gremio in Brazil, which could be the 37-year-old’s final club of his career.

Forwards

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Alexandre Lacazette is the first of two strikers to complete this XI. The Frenchman formed a decent partnership alongside fan-favourite Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, scoring 71 goals over the course of 206 appearances for the Gunners.

But he never replicated that same lethal form he’d displayed while at Lyon, which led to the Gunners eventually letting him return to the French club in 2022 after the expiry of his contract. He’d go on to spend three more years there, before completing a move to Saudi Pro League side Neom SC this summer.

Alongside Lacazette is another striker who, while not a flop, didn’t consistently hit the heights that supporters expected from him. Lukasz Podolski arrived at the Emirates as a seasoned striker for Germany, but managed just 19 Premier League goals in 60 appearances.

Sold in 2015 to Galatasaray after spending the second half of the 2014/15 season on loan at Galatasaray, he went on to play for another Turkish side, Antalyaspor, with a spell in Japan at Vissel Kobe sandwiched in between. Like his former teammate Cazorla, the German is still playing in his 40s, now for Polish side Gornik Zabrze.