Never leave Arsenal... you know it makes sense

If any of Arsene Wenger's young Gunners are dissatisfied with life at the Emirates this January a quick glance at the back pages should be enough to persuade them that life is better with Arsenal than without.
 
Many of Wenger's cast-offs are being linked with moves back to the Premier League after discovering that life beyond north London is not what it appeared to be.
 
Patrick Vieira has moved to Manchester City in a bid to restart his international career, albeit after some success in Italy, while Sol Campbell has hit the jackpot by somehow proving to the Arsenal manager that he still has what it takes, four years after being jettisoned.
 
Other former Gunners including Thierry Henry, Mathieu Flamini and Jose-Antonio Reyes could also be switching clubs after discovering that the grass is not always greener on the other side.
 
The likes of Vieira and Henry may have added to their medal hauls, and in Henry's case even won the Champions League, since leaving the Emirates - but few players who leave Arsenal still manage to command the fear and respect they did when playing in red and white.
 
Henry is a case in point. When he bid farewell to Arsenal in 2007 he was regarded as one of the best players in the world; today he is known as a cheat after his handball for France that knocked Ireland out of the World Cup.
 
Part of it is down to Wenger's nous in knowing when to offload players. He has a knack of selling them just after they have passed their peak, when they can still command a big transfer fee but are no longer the force they once were.
 
But even those who left of their own volition have found life tough outside north London.
 
In the summer of 2008 Mathieu Flamini and Alexandr Hleb chose to move on - but neither has achieved a great deal since then. Hleb left Arsenal for Barcelona and while the Spanish club had a magnificent season, the Belarussian did not. After one year, 19 league appearances and no goals, he was sent on loan to Stuttgart, where he began his career. He has also spoken of his regret at leaving the Gunners.
 
Flamini left at the same time as Hleb. He moved to AC Milan hoping to establish himself as one of the best midfielders in Europe. Reportedly he was annoyed at being treated as a utility player by Wenger, but things did not go according to plan at Milan and he ended up playing at full back - just as he sometimes did at Arsenal. In April last year he announced: "I will always be an Arsenal fan and leaving was not easy".
 
Strangely, given his love of Arsenal, Flamini is now being linked with a move to Spurs in a desperate attempt to make the French World Cup squad.
 
Another wunderkid whose career unravelled after leaving the Gunners was Jose Antonio Reyes. After a season of some success with Real Madrid he now finds himself at their neighbours Atletico and last month it was reported that he could be on his way to Everton on loan.
 
The likes of Robert Pires, Gilberto Silva, Freddie Ljungberg and Jens Lehmann were revered by the fans, but when they left, albeit in the twilight of their careers, failed to make an impact elsewhere.
 
There is one obvious exception - the bette noir of all Arsenal fans, Ashley Cole, who has gone from strength to strength since joining Chelsea. But players like Dennis Bergkamp and Tony Adams, who stuck with Wenger until the bitter end, are the ones that Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere and even Cesc Fabregas should surely look to for inspiration. ·