On the deadline day of the winter transfer window, Barcelona signed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after he terminated his contract with Arsenal. The player signed a contract until 30 June 2025 with an option to agree departure on 30 June 2023, and his buy out clause is 100 million euros.
The Gabonese striker is the ninth player who moved from London to the Catalan club. The eight other players who left Arsenal for Barcelona in the past years were:
Aleksandr Hleb
Thomas Vermaelen
Alex Song
Emmanuel Petit
Marc Overmars
Giovanni van Bronckhorst
Cesc Fabregas
Thierry Henry
Let’s have a look at the players who had great success after the big move:
Cesc Fabregas
Fabregas came through La Masia, Barcelona’s youth academy, leaving at 16 when he was signed by Premier League club Arsenal in September 2003. He was a well-established player in the first XI of the Gunners after several injuries.
After a long spell with Arsenal, he returned to Barcelona in 2011. During his three-year spell at the Camp Nou, Fabregas played alongside Xavi and Andres Iniesta and won a La Liga title, the Copa del Rey, the FIFA Club World Cup, the UEFA Super Cup and two Spanish Super Cups. He returned to London in June 2014 to Arsenal’s cross-town rivals Chelsea for a fee of 30 million pounds, and in his first year there, he helped to secure League Cup and Premier League triumphs.
Thierry Henry
One of the most decorated footballers in the history of European football. Henry made his professional debut with Monaco in 1994 before signing for defending Serie A champions Juventus. He joined Arsenal in 1999 for 11 million pounds.
Under long-time mentor and coach Arsene Wenger, Henry became a prolific striker and Arsenal’s all-time leading scorer with 228 goals in all competitions. He won the Premier League Golden Boot a record four times won two FA Cups and two Premier League titles with the club, including one during an unbeaten season dubbed The Invincibles. He spent his final two seasons with Arsenal as club captain, leading them to the 2006 UEFA Champions League Final.
In June 2007, he transferred to Barcelona. In the 2008–09 season, Henry was a crucial part of the club’s historic treble when they won La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League. In 2010, he joined New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer but returned to Arsenal on loan for two months in 2012, before retiring in 2014.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst
Van Bronckhorst was part of an Arsenal side that memorably won the Premier League in 2002, sealing the victory at the home of fierce rivals Manchester United.
In 2003, he joined Barcelona from Arsenal on a loan deal and in 2004, he moved on a permanent transfer. He was an instrumental player in Barcelona’s 2005–06 UEFA Champions League victory, being in the starting line-up of the final, having played every Champions League match for Barcelona that season.
