After getting knocked out of the Champions League by Bayern München last night, Arsenal look set to go another year trophy-less.  This is too long for a team who are considered one of the best in the county, and have some high quality players. Traditionally they were challenging for the title every year, but in the previous seasons they have fallen, and their main aim now is to qualify for the Champions League, which they could miss out on this year.
Eight years are a long time and Arsenal fans are starting to realise that the answer could be dumping long-serving manager Arsène Wenger, and replacing him with someone who will go and spend money on some big name players and bring something new to Arsenal. The problem is, if they don’t qualify for the Champions League this season then they could struggle to buy the world-class players needed to change their fortunes. Also, it could be hard for them to find a good manager willing to take on the challenge that is winning something with Arsenal.
Many Arsenal fans would prefer to win a trophy than qualify for the champions league, although most would like both. However the club will look at the money Champions League qualification brings with it, and think that it is something they can’t do without. Most supporters of the club should be questioning why, with the players that they have, they just can’t seem to compete in cup competitions like other teams in the league. Until they do win something there will always be the debate that would they have won something sooner if they had sacked Wenger.
There is a lot of talk of them being a ‘selling club’ but whether they are or not you have to look at the players they have sold. many of which have won a trophy within their first season of leaving The Emirates. In the past Eight years Arsenal haven’t won a trophy, the players who have left, together have won a total of 44 trophies (some obviously overlap), not including The Community Shield or national Super Cups.
List of players to win trophies:
2005
PATRICK VIEIRA to Juventus: 3 Serie A titles (Inter), 1 FA Cup (Man City).
2006
SOL CAMPBELL to Portsmouth: 1 FA Cup.
ASHLEY COLE to Chelsea: 1 Prem Lge, 4 FA Cups, 1 Lge Cup, 1 Champs Lge.
SEBASTIAN LARSSON to Birmingham: 1 Carling Cup.
LAUREN to Portsmouth: 1 FA Cup.
JOSE ANTONIO REYES to R Madrid: 1 La Liga, 1 Portuguese Lge Cup (Benfica), 2 Europa Lge, 1 Uefa SuperCup
2007
THIERRY HENRY to Barcelona: 2 La Liga, 1 Spanish Cup, 1 Champs Lge, 1 Uefa SuperCup, 1 Club World Cup.
LASSANA DIARRA to Portsmouth: 1 FA Cup, 1 Spanish Cup (R Madrid), 1 La Liga.
2008
MATHIEU FLAMINI to Milan: 1 Serie A.
ALEXANDER HLEB to Barcelona: 1 Champs Lge, 1 La Liga, 1 Spanish Cup, 1 Lge Cup (Birmingham).
GILBERTO SILVA to Panathinaikos: 1 Greek Lge, 1 Greek Cup.
2009
EMMANUEL ADEBAYOR to Man City: Spanish Cup (loan R Madrid).
KOLO TOURE to Man City: 1 FA Cup, 1 Premier Lge.
2010
FRAN MERIDA to A Madrid: 1 Euro SuperCup.
2011
CESC FABREGAS to Barcelona: 1 Euro SuperCup, 1 Club World Cup, 1 Spanish Cup.
Gael Clichy to Man City: 1 Prem Lge.
SAMIR NASRI to Man City: 1 Premier League.
