Players Who Won League Titles After Leaving Arsenal: Xhaka Joins List As Leverkusen Win Bundesliga

Players Who Won League Titles After Leaving Arsenal: Xhaka Joins List As Leverkusen Win Bundesliga

Joel Reyes
updated at April 15, 2024 at 7:02 AM
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Granit Xhaka logo
G. Xhaka
Bayer Leverkusen logoMSwitzerland logo
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ENG Premier League
England
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Arsenal
England
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Samir Nasri logo
S. Nasri
Anderlecht logoMFrance logo
Bayer Leverkusen logo
Bayer Leverkusen
Germany
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  • Xhaka helped Bayer Leverkusen win the German Bundesliga on Sunday
  • He joined the list of players who won league titles after leaving Arsenal
  • The Gunners last clinched a Premier League title in the 2004 campaign

It has been 20 years since Arsenal last won a Premier League title.

Many players have suited up for the Gunners to try and end that title drought but ultimately failed.

Sports Brief looks at the players who found success after leaving the club and won championships in other leagues, including Bayer Leverkusen's Granit Xhaka.

Granit Xhaka, Arsenal, Premier League, Bayer Leverkusen, Xabi Alonso, Robin Van Persie, Samir Nasri, Mathieu Flamini, Cesc Fabregas
Xhaka reacts after Arsenal's match with Liverpool; Xhaka celebrates after scoring a goal for Bayer Leverkusen. Images: Dave Howarth/ Rene Nijhuis.
Source: Getty Images

Former Arsenal players who won league titles

1. Granit Xhaka (Bayer Leverkusen)

Xhaka came close to winning the league title with Arsenal last year, but a late-season collapse ended that championship dream.

Surprisingly enough, the Gunners deemed the Swiss star expendable and let him leave for Bayer Leverkusen during the offseason in a £21.4 million deal.

That move proved smart for Xhaka, who helped Bayer Leverkusen end Bayern Munich's 11-year reign at the top of the German Bundesliga with their win on Sunday.

He scored Leverkusen's second goal in the 5-0 victory, sending their fans into a frenzy for the historic achievement, per Fox Sports.

2. Cesc Fabregas (Barcelona, Chelsea)

Fabregas was billed as the next big thing after joining Arsenal's academy from Barcelona in 2003.

He played for the Gunners in that historic 2003-04 season but was not awarded a winner's medal as he didn't appear in a single league match for them.

Many expected Fabregas to help Arsenal build on that success and deliver more league titles to the North London club.

That didn't materialise, with the Spaniard failing to win the Premier League with Arsenal until his departure in 2011. He found success after leaving the club, winning the 2012-13 La Liga title in his return to Barcelona.

He also managed to win the Premier League title that eluded him during his time with Arsenal, capturing it two times with Chelsea in the 2014-15 and 2016-17 seasons.

Fabregas played 212 league matches for Arsenal from 2003 to 2011, scoring 35 goals during that period.

3. Robin Van Persie (Manchester United)

Arsenal bolstered their attacking ranks after winning the Premier League title in the 2003-04 season, signing talented forward Robin van Persie from Feyernoord.

That proved to be a shrewd acquisition, with the Dutchman scoring 96 goals in 194 league matches for the Gunners from 2004 to 2012.

Those goals weren't enough to lead Arsenal back to the top of the Premier League.

Sir Alex Ferguson made signing van Persie a top priority for Manchester United after his team's collapse in the 2011-12 season.

Knowing that time is running out for him to achieve his dream of winning the Premier League title, van Persie decided to leave the Gunners and play for their bitter rivals.

That decision proved to be a masterstroke as the Dutchman led the Red Devils to the Premier League title in the 2012-13 campaign. He won the Golden Boot award that season, scoring 26 goals in 38 matches for United, per The Guardian.

4. Mathieu Flamini (Juventus)

Flamini failed to impress during his time at Arsenal, with the club letting him go for free in 2008.

The Gunners' loss was Juventus' gain, as the Italian club went on to win the 2010-11 Serie A title with Flamini as one of their main players in that campaign.

5. Samir Nasri (Manchester City)

Nasri joined Arsenal from Marseille in 2008 and immediately became one of the club's key players. He played 86 league matches for the Gunners from 2008-2011, scoring 18 goals during that period.

He also became a Player of the Year nominee during his time in North London, but his efforts weren't enough to lead Arsenal to the promised land.

Manchester City signed him in 2011, and the rest, as they say, is history. He didn't waste time capturing a Premier League winner's medal, with Sergio Aguero's last-gasp strike against QPR delivering the 2011-12 title to City.

Nasri finished his career in England with two Premier League titles.

Alonso wants more trophies

Sports Brief recently reported on Xabi Alonso's reaction to Bayer Leverkusen's Bundesliga win.

The Spanish manager said they are not done yet after capturing the title in the German top flight.

Leverkusen are still in contention for the German Cup and the Europa League titles this season.

Authors
Joel Reyes photo
Joel Reyes
Joel Reyes is a sports editor at Sportsbrief.com with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of the Philippines. He has eight years of work experience in sports writing.