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They say "once a Gunner, always a Gunner," but this is only true 99% of the time. Such is the nature of being a sports fan, those minority in the 1% who betrayed Arsenal and lost their legacy are more widely spoken about than club legends.
Even through gritted teeth.
It's easy to say this, but it feels like there's a wider pool of players who betrayed Arsenal by crossing enemy lines than any other team. Particularly in the era we just passed, rival clubs were constantly poaching our key players.
As annoying as that might be, here are five glaring examples of players who crossed enemy lines directly from Arsenal...
1. William Gallas
Once the Arsenal captain, William Gallas ruined his Arsenal legacy at an alarmingly fast rate. The French defender was considered a promising young player at the time, but he ruined that promise by joining Tottenham, of all clubs.
Arsenal fans can hardly be surprised that Gallas turned out to be a turncoat. After all, it was in this manner that he made the move to North London originally, signing from Chelsea. He's slightly forgiven there, since Gallas went the other way in a move which also involved Ashley Cole.
Speaking of...
2. Ashley Cole
Ashley Cole, or Cashley Cole to give him his more accurate name, is one of the most hated Arsenal players of all time. He's in esteemed company there, which is rather impressive for him.
Cole made the move from Arsenal to Chelsea. Big deal, right? Arsenal have signed about one million players from Chelsea. However, it was the manner in which Cole made the switch which made his move a complete and utter betrayal.
Cole held secret meetings with Chelsea while Arsenal still employed him as he tried to make the move. This, understandably, sat awfully with Arsenal fans, and it still serves a gut-punch to remember.
Arsenal gave Cole everything, and Cole gave Arsenal the middle finger in return. Talk about entering enemy lines in style.
3. Robin van Persie
It wouldn't be an 'entering enemy lines' post without the mention of Robin van Persie.
One of the greatest Arsenal strikers of all time, but sadly, his legacy is tainted by the direct move he made from Arsenal to Man United.
Despite having a greater relative impact at Arsenal, Robin van Persie is mostly known for his playing days at Man United. This, unfortunately, is due to him winning silverware at Old Trafford.
See, RvP made the switch during Man United's most dominant era under Sir Alex Ferguson. He not only made the switch, but he improved one of Arsenal's longest-standing rivals.
To put it bluntly, Robin van Persie is the poster boy of 'crossing enemy lines.'
4. Freddie Ljungberg
For the most-part, this article has been full of disdain. It is virtually impossible to look at Ljungberg in the same light. He was, and still is, an Arsenal legend.
That said, we'll include Freddie in this list for two reasons: he meets the quote of crossing enemy lines, but he adds a more positive feel to this list. Someone has to carry the other turncoats, after all.
Ljungberg made the direct switch from Arsenal to West Ham in 2007, after completing a great legacy at Arsenal. It goes without saying that Arsenal and West Ham are rivals, but this move didn't cause nearly as much pain as the others in this list.
Ljungberg had given everything he possibly could to Arsenal, even dying his hair Arsenal red. So, he can be forgiven for blowing bubbles after leaving.