WHY I LEFT ARSENAL - CLICHY

French defender Gael Clichy has disclosed the reason behind his exit from Arsenal almost a decade ago. Clichy broke into the Arsenal first team as a teenager and was part of the Gunners team that went through the Premier League season without a single defeat. The feat happened during the 2003/04 Premier League campaign as the Gunners won their third Premier League crown after the 1997/98 and 2001/02 title wins.

Clichy spent almost a decade at Arsenal before his exit from the club in 2011. He has given the reason for his departure in a chat withthe official podcast of Arsenal. He revealed why he made the decision to leave North London for Manchester City in the summer of 2011. According to the ex-France international, a change in philosophy at the club pushed him closer to the exit door. Gael Clichy said that Arsenal decided to shift their focus to British players.
He made 264 appearances for the Gunners before heading for Manchester City some nine years ago.

Clichy came through the ranks at French club Cannes before making his professional debut for Cannes as a teenager. The French fullback signed for Arsenal from Cannes and went on to score 1 goal in 187 league appearances.
Gael Clichy understudied Ashley Cole in the left-back role for many years before he took charge of the position at the start of the 2006/07 season. Apart from the 2003/04 Premier League title, Gael Clichy was also part of the Arsenal squad that won the 2004/05 FA Cup title. He went on to win two league titles at Manchester City upon his transfer from Arsenal.
The Citizens won their first two Premier League titles in the 2011/12 and 2013/14 league campaigns. Clichy was part of the two title winning squads. Clichy spent six years at Manchester City before signing for Istanbul Basaksehir FC of Turkey on a free transfer in 2017. He has been a free agent since leaving the Turkish champions at the end of last season.