Arsenal legend Kolo Toure was a key part of the Invincibles side which last won the league, but he was also one of many stars to join a rival club.
When Manchester City first started their heavy spending spree, they signed several Arsenal stars including Emmanuel Adebayor and Gael Clichy. However, Toure is still fondly remembered for his outstanding contributions in an Arsenal shirt, as well as his jovial character.
Toure joined Man City in July 2009 for around £14m, at a time where a lot of senior players were leaving, and Arsene Wenger had little choice but to replace them with younger talents, but he has now revealed that he would have happily stayed at the club if circumstances were different.
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Kolo Toure opens up on Arsenal exit in 2009
Speaking on The High Performance Podcast, Toure stated that the high volume of changes to the playing squad around the time of his departure contributed to his exit.
“No, I didn’t want to leave Arsenal, but at one point it started to be a little bit toxic,” he stated.
“Other players came in and they came with different mindsets, and especially when you play at the back and you don’t get on very well with people, it is quite difficult.
“Arsenal is about togetherness. Other players coming in, and they had different mindsets really, and I couldn’t cope with that.
“Football is about being together, working hard together, protecting each other. It was selfishness, if you want to be able to win trophies, you have to work for each other. If you have one or two players on the pitch, who pick their moments of working hard for the team, you won’t get anything.”
How the Arsenal squad evolved when Kolo Toure left
Thomas Vermaelen joined from Ajax to replace Toure, but whilst he did have inconsistent moments, he did become club captain and won the FA Cup before joining Barcelona in 2014.
Mikael Silvestre had joined from Manchester United a year before, but was a calamitous figure at the back, and despite being a proven winner at Old Trafford, he may have been one of the players Toure highlighted as one whom he did not see eye to eye with, along with fellow defender William Gallas.
The likes of Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey were becoming first-team players, with Wenger’s side taking on a more youthful look, and Sol Campbell even returned to the club in January to bolster the defensive depth after Toure’s departure.
Toure has gone down as an Arsenal legend, and is still a popular figure amongst the fans despite playing for Man City and eventually Liverpool in his career, and was an outstanding member of the back four for years.