Deadline day in January is always fun, as clubs scramble to complete last-minute transfers that will make or break their season. This year was no different, with Nottingham Forest further expanding their huge squad, Manchester City letting a world-class defender leave, and Tottenham Hotspur terminating Matt Doherty’s contract out of the blue. One deal in particular caught my eye, though, as Jorginho left Chelsea to join Arsenal. The move was viewed by many as a good piece of business for all parties; Chelsea got £12 million for a player they’d lose for nothing in the summer, while Arsenal added an experienced winner to a young squad looking to secure the Premier League title.
But, wait a minute. Aren’t Chelsea and Arsenal supposed to be rivals? You wouldn’t think so with the frequency with which the two clubs trade players and the amicable relationship between the two sets of supporters.
It’s an unwritten rule that clubs that share the same city are not supposed to sell players to one another. Generally speaking, those who do cross that boundary are set for a lifetime of abuse from the supporters they betray; just ask Sol Campbell how his move from Spurs to Arsenal went. And yet, over the last 20 years or so, 13 players have worn the blue of Chelsea and the red and white of Arsenal.
You’d be forgiven for forgetting lower profile players like Yossi Benayoun and Lassana Diarra moving directly from Chelsea to Arsenal, but much higher profile stars such as Petr Cech, Willian, David Luiz, and William Gallas all followed the same path, with only the latter causing any trouble along the way. Heading in the opposite direction, two members of Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal squad in the ‘90s, Emmanuel Petit and Nicolas Anelka both found their way to Stamford Bridge after spells away from England. Cesc Fabregas would do the same over a decade later, too, and achieve great success with the Blues. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang also wound up at Chelsea’s door after a stint with Barcelona, though his time in West London has been far from positive. As for direct moves, Olivier Giroud left Arsenal after six seasons to join Chelsea in a fairly innocuous transfer, while Ashley Cole’s switch from red to blue in 2006 is by far the most controversial of all the dealings between the two clubs.