Former Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna has admitted that he questioned the club's ambition when they sold Robin van Persie to Manchester United in 2012.
The Dutch striker scored 37 goals for Arsenal across all competitions in 2011-12, including 30 in just 38 Premier League outings, only to leave that summer to join the Gunners' fierce rivals Man United.
Van Persie went on to hit the 30-goal mark again the following season, firing United to their most recent title, and Sagna admits that it was the striker's sale more than those of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri that made him seriously doubt Arsenal's ability to challenge for trophies.
"I got upset, not when Fabregas left - because that was quite an obvious move - not when Nasri left, but when Robin left," Sagna told Goal.
"It was like a statement from the club. He left in a way that no-one understood because he was flying. He was a different type of player. An animal on the pitch, a goalscoring machine. When he left, I wondered why Arsenal didn't try more to keep him.
"Even if they had to spend lots of money [to replace Van Persie], just do it because you have to spend money to get another player. And if you want to win something, it's going to take time for that player to adapt. I didn't understand that and Alex Song's move. The two of them left at the same time and I found out reading the French press. That got me really upset."
Sagna made 284 appearances for Arsenal across all competitions, winning the FA Cup in 2013-14.
Barney Corkhill
