Stars who have suited up for both Arsenal and Chelsea

Willian officially joins the list of names to play for both, the Gunners and the Blues in the Premier League era. A long deal rumored finally came to fruition as the Brazilian signed a three-year contract at the Emirates Stadium after opting not to continue with Chelsea, where he became a two-time Premier League winner.

Apart from him, some other famous names have also featured in both the red and white of Arsenal and the blue of Chelsea.

Emmanuel Petit

One of the main players that helped in running Arsenal's engine, Emmanuel Petit reunited with the former Monaco boss Arsene Wenger in June 1997. The 1998 World Cup winner formed a brilliant midfield partnership with fellow Frenchman, Patrick Vieira. They served as key players for Wenger's 1997-98 Premier League and FA Cup double winning side. Petit joined FC Barcelona in 2000 but a poor spell at Camp Nou led to his return to the English top-flight with Chelsea where he played for three years.

Nicolas Anelka

The Frenchman arrived at Arsenal as a teenager in February 1997 and won a Premier League and FA Cup double the following season. His performances resulted in a big-money move to Real Madrid in 1999 but an unsuccessful tenure there made him move to Paris Saint-Germain followed by spells at Liverpool, Manchester City, Fenerbahce and Bolton Wanderers before he finally moved to Chelsea in 2008, where he won the 2009-10 Premier League and two FA Cups.

Ashley Cole

Considered as England’s best left-back by many prominent names, Cole was a hero in north London having risen through the ranks of Arsenal where he was a two-time Premier League and three-time FA Cup winner. However, his relationship deteriorated with the Arsenal fans after a controversial move to Chelsea in 2006 but the honors continued to stack up as Cole won another league title, four FA Cups, an EFL Cup, the Europa League and the Champions League.

William Gallas

The French defender was known for his versatility and was signed for the Blues from Marseille by Claudio Ranieri in 2001 and he went on to win the Premier League twice with Chelsea before moving to Arsenal as a part of the deal that took Cole to Chelsea in 2006. He managed over 100 appearances for the Gunners before joining rival Spurs in 2010, completing a hat-trick in terms of capital clubs.

Cesc Fabregas

Picked up from Barcelona’s academy, Fabregas made his Arsenal debut as a wide-eyed teenager as a 16-year-old in an EFL Cup tie against Rotherham United in October 2003. His major honor with the Gunners was an FA Cup in 2005 and he was also a Champions League runner-up the following season. A return to Barcelona followed in 2011 and then he was linked back to the Premier League when he joined Chelsea in 2014, despite rumors linking him back to Arsenal. He lifted the league title twice as well as an EFL Cup and FA Cup with the Blues.

Olivier Giroud

After firing Montpellier to an unlikely Ligue 1 triumph in the 2011-12 campaign, Giroud earned a move to the Gunners. He won the FA Cup thrice and then joined Chelsea in 2018 in order to play first-team games with a World Cup on the horizon. With Chelsea, he has won an FA Cup and a Europa League medal and also signed an extension to remain with the Blues for the 2020-21 season despite rumors of a move away from Stamford Bridge.

David Luiz

Like Willian, Brazilian companion David Luiz arrived at Emirates Stadium last year with some good experience and honors to his name. After winning the Champions League, Europa League (twice) and FA Cup twice across two stints at Stamford Bridge, the center-back won an FA Cup with Arsenal recently. His first season with Arsenal witnessed a lot of low points and many silly mistakes but he was still handed a contract extension. Since then, Luiz has proven his potential and cleared all concerns regarding why he was given an extension.

Petr Cech

Cech was a fan favorite at Chelsea and departed after 11 successful years with them. He then chose to see out his career with the Gunners and added another FA Cup to his collection and lost two finals, in the EFL Cup and Europa League and the final against Chelsea in the Europa League also turned out to be the last game before he confirmed his retirement.

Emmanuel Petit, Yossi Benayoun and Lassana Diarra are the other names that played for both the clubs. 

featured image credits- skysports.com