Narrow Miss: 7 Arsenal players who departed just before history was made
Arsenal have capped off a historic campaign by securing the 2025/2026 Premier League title after a 22-year wait to the delight of scores of the teeming fans across the globe.
The Gunners secured the title when closest rivals Manchester City failed to beat Bournemouth last Tuesday allowing Arsenal to claim the championship with a game to spare.
Stats say Arteta’s men are the first team in Premier League history to complete an entire 38-game season without conceding a single penalty or receiving a red card.
Built around defensive excellence, Arsenal’s near-impenetrable backline and dominant set-piece routines were instrumental, as the club routinely ground out crucial results when needed.
Defensively players like David Raya, Gabriel Magalhães, William Saliba, Hincapie, Ricardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber put in good shifts all season while others including: Declan Rice, Eberechi Eze, Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Hevertz also played a part in getting the team beyond the finish line.
But some players narrowly missed out on Arsenal’s road to glory and in this article, we highlight seven (7) players who could not wait, for various reasons, to have a firsthand experience of the Gunners being crowned winners of the 2025/26 EPL title.
Read Also: Arteta eyes UCL trophy as Arsenal begin preparations for PSG final
Granite Xhaka
Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka remains a controversial figure as an Arsenal player who left the club in July 2023 completing a transfer to German club Bayer Leverkusen for a fee of £21.4 million.
The player who once had a faceoff with fans of the club when he was booed off a game after a shoddy performance, ended his seven-year spell in north London by signing a five-year deal with the Bundesliga side.
Xhaka left Bayer Leverkusen last season and officially moved to Sunderland in July 2025, completing an initial £13m transfer (rising to £17.3m with add-ons) from Bayer Leverkusen.
The Swiss midfielder signed a three-year contract, was appointed captain, and has since led the Black Cats through a highly successful campaign after the team gained promotion to the EPL last season.
Jakub Kiwior
Poland defender Jakub Kiwior had high hopes of breaking into the Arsenal first team when he was signed from Italian club Spezia in a deal worth £20m in January 2023.
However, the player officially left Arsenal to join Portuguese side FC Porto. The Polish defender initially joined Porto on a season-long loan in September 2025, which included an obligation to make the transfer permanent in a deal which has now been finalised.
The player stated that the exit was his decision entirely despite having Mikel Arteta’s blessing to stay. Kiwior chose to leave to find regular first-team football rather than remaining a backup to William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães.
Jorginho
Former Chelsea midfielder Jorginho officially left Arsenal in June 2025 by mutual agreement, and signed a three-year contract with Brazilian giants Flamengo thereafter.
The experienced Italian player requested the early release from his Arsenal contract so he could secure regular playing time and prepare for the FIFA Club World Cup.
Arsenal were thus forced to reach a mutual agreement to terminate his contract early, by passing a June 30 expiration, making him a free agent to join Flamengo.
Jorginho who also plied his trade in the Italian Serie A for Napoli joined Arsenal in January 2023, making 78 overall appearances and scoring two goals across all competitions.
Thomas Partey
Versatile Ghanaian midfielder Thomas Partey officially left Arsenal on June 30, 2025, after the club refused to renew his contract. Both Arsenal and Partey failed to reach an agreement on a new deal allowing the player to leave on a free transfer.
Contract talks between Arsenal and Partey reportedly broke down as the player sought a wage increase and a multi-year deal, while the club was hesitant to meet these demands for a player over 30 with a history of injuries.
Nuno Tavares
Portuguese defender Nuno Tavares officially left Arsenal to join Italian Serie A side Lazio on a permanent transfer following a string of impressive performances for the club.
The club finalized the move on June 5, 2025, after a highly successful season-long loan where performance conditions were met, triggering an obligation to buy.
Following loans at Marseille, Nottingham Forest, and Lazio, the Portuguese defender found his footing in Rome, prompting the permanent switch for the player who initially joined the Gunners from Benfica in 2021, making 28 appearances.
Takehiro Tomiyasu
Japanese defender Takehiro Tomiyasu left Arsenal in July 2025 after the club and the defender mutually agreed to terminate his contract.
The 26-year-old reached the decision to depart so he could become a free agent, allowing him to completely focus on his rehabilitation from a long-term knee injury.
The defender who suffered multiple knee issues that required surgery, ultimately limiting him to just six minutes of action during the 2024–25 season is now plying his trade in the Dutch Eredivisie with Ajax Amsterdam.
Kieran Tierney
Scottish left-back Kieran Tierney who joined Arsenal from Celtic in 2019 for a reported £25 million made 170 appearances for the Gunners, helping the team win the 2020 FA Cup in his debut season.
However, Tierney left Arsenal to permanently rejoin his boyhood club, Celtic, on a free transfer following the expiration of his contract.
The left-back signed a five-year deal with the Scottish champions, officially bringing an end to his six-year spell in north London after struggling for regular minutes under Mikel Arteta.
