Five former Arsenal stars you didn't realise are still playing

Arsenal has changed greatly as a club over the past 10 to 15 years, transforming from mere mid-table dwellers and severe underachievers to Premier League champions once again.

Mikel Arteta has overseen plenty of that change, taking the club from the dark final days of Arsène Wenger and the poor showings under Unai Emery back to the greatness it deserves, and a key part of that has been ridding the squad of the deadwood that plagued it for so long to bring in high quality names.

However, some of those departures came before Arteta's time and with the Spaniard approaching his eighth season as the Gunners' manager, most would think those former players have now called it a day. Well they haven't all done that just yet. Here are five former Arsenal stars you didn't realise are still playing.

Five former Arsenal stars you didn't realise are still playing

1. David Ospina

David Ospina was never really a crucial player for Arsenal, often deputising for Wojciech Szczęsny and later Petr Čech, but he is still remembered by fans as a two-time FA Cup winner.

He made 70 appearances for the Gunners between 2014 and 2019 before leaving for Napoli following a season-long loan in La Città del Sole.

The goalkeeper then moved to Al Nassr and Atlético Nacional, and is showing no signs of retiring after signing for Mexican side Atlante and also being part of Colombia's squad for the World Cup.

2. Carl Jenkinson

Signed from Charlton Athletic in 2011, Carl Jenkinson acted as a backup option for Arsenal when fit.

The right back played 70 times for his boyhood club while also having three loan spells away from North London before departing for Nottingham Forest in 2019.

Jenkinson spent three seasons in Australia with Melbourne City and Newcastle Jets before returning to England to sign for Bromley. He helped the Ravens win the League Two title ahead of leaving at the end of last season, and is now without a club.

3. Joel Campbell

A player who showed promise during the early stages of his Gunners career, Joel Campbell never really made an impact at the Emirates Stadium and is a name forgotten by many now.

He joined from Costa Rican side Saprissa in 2011, but failed to obtain a work permit so didn't make his debut until three years later after a spate of loan spells. Campbell scored four times in 40 appearances for Arsenal before leaving in 2018.

The 150-cap Costa Rica international has been playing in his home nation since 2023 and recently signed for top divsion side Inter de San Carlos.

4. Francis Coquelin

Having joined as a promising talent from Laval in 2008, Francis Coquelin developed into an important player during his 10 years in the red half of North London.

The former France youth international played 160 games for Arsenal before departing for Valencia in January 2018, where he remained for two years ahead of joining Villarreal.

Following a spell with Nantes, Coquelin returned to boyhood club Laval this summer at 35-years-old.

5. Gabriel Paulista

The Gabriel before Gabriel. Gabriel Paulista signed for the Gunners from Villarreal in January 2015 and spent two-and-a-half seasons with the club.

He made 64 appearances during his time under Wenger, winning two FA Cups and a Community Shield before heading to Valencia ahead of the 2017/18 campaign.

A short spell with Atlético Madrid followed before a move to Beşiktaş, but he is now back in his home nation of Brazil with Corinthians.

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