“ Arsenal forced me to go out despite that I want to stay – so I won titles at Man City instead ''

Gael Clichy once revealed his original plans to hang up his boots at Arsenal, only to change allegiance to Manchester City after being unwanted by the Gunners. The former French international made a name for himself in Arsenal after his Cannes move in 2003.

His first season in Highbury was simply historic because he was part of the legendary team of the invincibles, winning the title of Premier League and becoming the youngest winner in the history of the League at only 18 years old. However, this championship victory remained the only major honor of Clichy with Arsenal.

At the start of his career at the club, Arsene Wenger was confronted with the challenge of filling the void left by icons such as Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Vieira. As Arsenal went to the Emirates stadium, the financial constraints were tightened and the release of the key players has become a recurring theme.

Speaking on the official arsenal podcast in 2020, Clichy thought about how the club's transition to the development of British talents influenced its decision to leave for Manchester City in 2011. “I clearly remember at that time , the club was trying to promote more British players, “it said.

“There was a group of four or five players, they put them there, they wanted to build the team around them and I arrived at a point where, not the injuries, but where you feel that the club says that they [don’t] You want to keep yourself, “reports the mirror.

“I don't think they wanted me to go but I didn't feel at the time that they wanted me to stay. Make sure it remains. The decision was good for everyone.

“It was not linked to my injury, it was not linked to anything, but I could feel that the club was pushing towards something else.” Clichy conceded that there was a moment when he saw himself suspending his boots as a shooter, but the fate of seven years without the team's trophy during his mandate prompted him to seek new pastures.

“If you speak with my close friends, my family, there was a time when I was dying to end my career at Arsenal because I loved every moment,” he revealed. “But at the same time, seeing how it was going, seeing that in recent years when we had won nothing, it was for me as a player and I thought it was perhaps time to break the circle.

“They were trying to promote new players so I said to myself:” What do you know? Let's go see something else. “” Clichy finally signed for the Manchester Club in an agreement of 7 million pounds Toure and Samir Nasri at the Etihad stadium.

The left back was an immediate success, replacing the title of the Premier League in its first season. He then added another victory in the league and two triumphs of the League Cup to his career achievements in town before leaving the club in 2017 after making 203 appearances for citizens.