Bacary Sagna explains Arsenal’s decision that upset him in 2012

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The Frenchman was one of Arsenal’s most consistent performers during his time in North London.

Ex-Arsenal star Bacary Sagna spoke to Goal about the Gunners’ decision to part ways with their former skipper, Robin van Persie, back in 2012.

Sagna joined Arsenal in 2007 and spent seven years at the club under Arsene Wenger. The Frenchman recalled his later years at the Emirates in the interview and explained what got him really upset back in 2012.

He said: “I got upset, not when [Cesc] Fabregas left – because that was quite an obvious move – not when [Samir] Nasri left, but when Robin left. It was like a statement from the club. He left in a way that no-one understood because he was flying,”

“He was a different type of player. An animal on the pitch, a goal-scoring machine. When he left, I wondered why Arsenal didn’t try more to keep him. I didn’t understand that and Alex Song’s move. The two of them left at the same time and I found out reading the French press. That got me really upset.”

Allowing van Persie to get down to the final year of his contract was a huge blunder on Arsenal’s part and that allowed the Dutchman have a strong say in negotiations.

However, it almost seemed like van Persie had his heart set out on leaving Arsenal to win the Premier League; something that Wenger’s side weren’t in a position to do back then.

Selling Song was a strange move too, considering the kind of season he had just before he left. A move to Barcelona would certainly have been tempting, but Arsenal should have done better with their transfers back then. 

The Gunners seem to have not learnt from their previous mistakes. Aaron Ramsey, one of Arsenal’s most important players, was allowed to leave for free while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will soon enter the final 12 months of his contract. 

Losing Aubameyang could well be Arsenal’s biggest transfer blunder yet, and that could have an effect on their other star players, just like it had on Sagna all those years ago.