Kai Havertz Set to Join Arsenal: A Look at Players Who Have Worn Both Shirts
Arsenal and Chelsea have a fierce rivalry, but that hasn’t stopped players from making the switch from one team to the other. The latest player to make the move is Kai Havertz, who is set to join Arsenal from Chelsea for a fee of £65 million. In this article, we take a look at some of the players who have worn both shirts.
Jorginho (Chelsea 2018-2023 and Arsenal 2023-present)
Jorginho arrived in England for a fee of £57 million from Napoli and quickly became a staple member of the Blues squad. He made 143 appearances, scored 21 times, and captained the club at times throughout his five years at Stamford Bridge. He then made the switch to Premier League title-chasing Arsenal in January, making 14 appearances as he helped Mikel Arteta in their attempts to lift the trophy which were ultimately unsuccessful.
Willian (Chelsea 2013-2020 and Arsenal 2020-2021)
Willian joined Arsenal in 2020 on a free from Chelsea after spending seven years at Stamford Bridge. He starred for the Blues, making 234 appearances in total while also winning multiple Premier League titles. Although, the Brazilian winger went on to only score one goal for the Gunners before leaving the club by mutual consent only a year after joining.
David Luiz (Chelsea 2011-2014/2016-2019 and Arsenal 2019-2021)
One of the most recent players to cross the divide was David Luiz who, it’s fair to say has had his ups and downs. Luiz had two spells at Chelsea and he experienced success at Stamford Bridge as he won the Premier League title, Champions League, two Europa Leagues, and two FA Cups. After joining Arsenal in 2019, he picked up another trophy but going from zero to hero winning the FA Cup just weeks after a horrendous display against Man City.
Olivier Giroud (Arsenal 2012-2018 and Chelsea 2018-2021)
Olivier Giroud spent eight years at Arsenal and lifted three FA Cups with the Gunners during his five-and-a-half seasons at the Emirates. He scored 73 Premier League goals in 180 games before a move to Chelsea on transfer deadline day in 2018. The striker then became a key man for the Blues, scoring important goals and being an integral member of the team as he won another FA Cup as well as the Champions League at Europa League at the club.
Petr Cech (Chelsea 2004-2015 and Arsenal 2015-2019)
Petr Cech spent 15 years in England with either Chelsea or Arsenal. Eleven of those came while playing for the Blues where he made 494 appearances winning four Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups, the Champions League and Europa League. The goalkeeper then jumped over to the Emirates and won another FA Cup, while also losing League Cup and Europa League finals. Cech has since retired and returned to Stamford Bridge in a role as a technical and performance advisor, a position in which he left last year.
Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal 2003-2011 and Chelsea 2014-2019)
Cesc Fabregas lit up the Premier League as a teenager with the Gunners and enjoyed eight seasons with the club before moving to Barcelona in 2011. Fabregas was back in England three seasons later with Chelsea and in four-and-a-half seasons won two league titles. The Spanish playmaker then moved on from the Blues in 2019 to join up with former teammate Thierry Henry, who was manager at Monaco at the time.
William Gallas (Chelsea 2001-2006 and Arsenal 2006-2010)
William 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 their fierce north London rivals Tottenham.
Ashley Cole (Arsenal 1999-2006 and Chelsea 2006-2014)
Ashley 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. Cole was also a key part of the Gunners’ infamous ‘Invincibles’ squad who went a whole season unbeaten to win the title in 2004. His protracted transfer to Chelsea was then completed in 2006 where he went on to win another league title, four FA Cups, the League Cup, Europa League and Champions League.
Nicolas Anelka (Arsenal 1997-1999 and Chelsea 2008-2012)
Arsene Wenger signed Nicolas Anelka as a 17-year-old from Paris Saint-Germain for £500,000 and he went on to score 23 Premier League goals in 65 games. Real Madrid came calling and he was signed for £22.3 million in 1999 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)
Emmanuel Petit enjoyed a successful spell at Arsenal after signing in 1997, helping them to a league and FA Cup double in his first season. The French World Cup winner spent a season at Barcelona before moving to Chelsea in 2001 where he spent the remaining three seasons of his career.
Lassana Diarra (Chelsea 2005-2007 and Arsenal 2007-2008)
Lassana Diarra signed for Chelsea as a 20-year-old in 2005 and struggled to get much game time behind Claude Makelele. He made just 31 appearances before being sold to Arsenal on transfer deadline day in 2007. Unfortunately, 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)
Yossi Benayoun was signed for £5.5 million by Chelsea from Liverpool in 2010 but the midfielder was rarely used in his three seasons at the club. He only made 24 appearances in all competitions and was loaned to Arsenal during the middle of this spell where he made 19 appearances scoring four goals.
Conclusion
The rivalry between Arsenal and Chelsea has been intense over the years, but that hasn’t stopped players from making the switch from one team to the other. Kai Havertz is set to become the latest player to make the move, joining Arsenal from Chelsea for a fee of £65 million. As we have seen, many big names have worn both shirts, including Jorginho, Willian, David Luiz, Olivier Giroud, Petr Cech, Cesc Fabregas, William Gallas, Ashley Cole, Nicolas Anelka, Emmanuel Petit, Lassana Diarra, and Yossi Benayoun. It remains to be seen how Havertz will fare at Arsenal, but if history is anything to go by, he could be in for a successful stint at the Emirates.