Willian Borges da Silva has joined the players to have made a direct switch to Chelsea to Arsenal. The Brazilian winger signed for the Gunners following the expiration of his Blues contract.
He will link up with Mikel Arteta’s side ahead of the 2020/21 season and it’s reported he will earn £220,000-a-week on a three-year deal.
With Arsenal confirming the signing of the former Shakhtar Donetsk man, here are 10 players who have represented both London giants.
Nicolas Anelka (Arsenal 1997-1999 and Chelsea 2008-2012)
17-year-old Anelka signed for Paris Saint-Germain for £500,000. He made 65 appearances and scored score 23 Premier League goals.
He then joined Real Madrid in the summer of 1999 for a £22.3 million transfer fee and went on to play for another five clubs before signing for Chelsea in 2008.
He had, arguably, the best spell of his career at Stamford Bridge scoring 59 goals in 125 games and helping his side to the Premier League and two FA Cups.
Emmanuel Petit (Arsenal 1997-2000 and Chelsea 2001-2004)
Petit was instrumental for Arsenal after signing in 1997, playing crucial roles as the Gunners won the Premier League and FA Cup double in his first season.
The World Cup winner spent a season at Barcelona before moving to Chelsea in 2001 where he spent the remaining three seasons of his career.
David Luiz (Chelsea 2011-2014/2016-2019 and Arsenal 2019-present)
Olivier Giroud (Arsenal 2012-2018 and Chelsea 2018-present)
David Luis is the last man to switch from Stamford Bridge to the Emirates. Luiz won one Premier League title, Champions League, two Europa Leagues, and two FA Cups.
This season he added to his collection and signed a new contract as his performances picked up towards the end of the 2019/20 season
The French striker won three FA Cups with the Gunners during his five and a half seasons at the Emirates.
Ginroud also netted 73 Premier League goals in 180 games before a move to Chelsea on transfer deadline day in 2018.
For the majority of his time at Stamford Bridge he has been a backup striker, but following the restart he has been an integral member of Frank Lampard’s side, scoring eight goals to fire the Blues to a top four finish.
Petr Cech (Chelsea 2004-2015 and Arsenal 2015-2019)
Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal 2003-2011 and Chelsea 2014-2019)
Fabregas joined the Gunners from Barcelonaas a teenager and played for eight seasons with the club before return to the Catalan giants in 2011.
Fabregas was back in the Premier League three seasons later with Chelsea and in four and a half seasons won two league titles.
William Gallas (Chelsea 2001-2006 and Arsenal 2006-2010)
Gallas spent five seasons at Stamford Bridge winning two Premier League trophies before switching to north London as part of a deal that saw Ashley Cole go in the other direction.
The central defender spent five seasons at Arsenal before moving to Tottenham.
Ashley Cole (Arsenal 1999-2006 and Chelsea 2006-2014)
Cole came through the Arsenal youth ranks to win the Premier League twice, FA Cup three times and lose out in the Champions League final.
His protracted transfer to Chelsea was completed in 2006 where he went on to win another league title, four FA Cups, the League Cup, Europa League and Champions League.
Lassana Diarra (Chelsea 2005-2007 and Arsenal 2007-2008)
Chelsea signed a 20-year-old Diarra in 2005 from Le Havre. In two seasons with the Blues, the defensive midfielder was able to make just 31 appearances before being sold to Arsenal on transfer deadline day in 2007.
It didn’t get much better at the Emirates as, after only five months with the Gunners, he was sold to Portsmouth.
Yossi Benayoun (Chelsea 2010-2013 and Arsenal 2011/12)
The midfielder was signed for £5.5million by Chelsea from Liverpool in 2010 but was rarely used in his three seasons at the club.
He made 24 appearances in all competitions and was loaned to Arsenal during the middle of this spell.
