Arsenal: The fortunes of the six players who raised £70 million

Arsenal may have spent a total of £53 million last summer, the highest total ever laid out by Arsene Wenger over a single season - but that would not be to tell the whole story.

The Gunners let six players leave the club for transfer fees in 2011-12, raising a total on £70 million giving Arsenal a net spend of minus £17 million. How have they got on? Here's a run down of all 10.

Gael Clichy

Clichy departed to sign for Manchester City for £7 million. When Gibbs and Santos were injured last year Arsenal did struggle at left-back but a number of fans felt Clichy was not progressing at the club and needed to move on. There can be no doubt he has upped his game at City, he was excellent during the title run-in, and has made the position his own at the Etihad, ahead of Aleksandr Kolarov. He made 24 league appearances, providing four assists, and crucially ended the season with a coveted Premier League winners medal. Now 26, he is expected to be a fixture of the City side for years to come and the price they bought him for is looking like a bargain.

Jay Emmanuel-Thomas

21-year-old Emmanuel Thomas was allowed to leave the Emirates last summer after making just one first team appearance. A Youth Cup winner with Arsenal, he was signed by Ipswich Town for £1.5 million, after impressing in the Championship during loan spells with Blackpool, Doncaster Rovers, and Cardiff City. He had a difficult start at Ipswich, who ended the season finishing 15th in the league. The second half of the season saw an improvement in the level of his performances, and he ended the campaign with seven goals in 44 games. The season has given him a platform, and he will hope to build on it next season and reach double figures in goals, and perhaps even a move to a Premier League club.

Cesc Fabregas

Fabregas departure to Spain was a predictable one, it became only a mystery of how Arsenal were able to hang onto him for so long. Arsenal secured half of their transfer income from his sale, Barcelona paid £35 million in total. He started it in fine form, winning the Spanish Super Cup in his first month there, and played far more than many doubters suggested. The 25-year-old made 23 La Liga starts, plus five as sub, and scored nine goals. He scored six goals in other competitions, and despite a dip in form in the New Year, he ended the season with a Copa del Rey winner's medal. For Barcelona it looks money well spent, and Arsenal can't argue with the fee too, fans will just wish his time at the Emirates coincided with a more successful era in their history which could have tempted him to stay.

Emmanuel Eboue

Eboue is a bit of a cult figure around the Emirates nowadays, but there as no question that a vocal section of the clubs' fans were keen to see him go, with a mindless penalty conceded against Liverpool in April 2011 the final straw. He was sold to Turkish side Galatasaray for £4 million, a fair reflection of his market value. The right-back played 32 times for the club, scoring three times. The 29-year-old was also an African Nations Cup runner-up, part of the Ivory coast side defeated at the last by Zambia. Notably, Galatasaray won the league, meaning Eboue has what Robin van Persie does not, a league winner's medal.

Samir Nasri

Nasri has had the most eventful 12 months of all the Arsenal departees. While clubmate Gael Clichy handled his departure with dignity, Nasri did not. Arsenal fans were rightly angry to see last season's star man depart, even if the £24 million helped. When Arsenal beat Manchester City in early April, it looked like the Frenchman would end the season trophyless. That would not take in a late collapse by Manchester United, which allowed City to become champions. Nasri incurred the wrath of his former supporters by gloating publicly, claiming the medal vindicated his decision to leave Arsenal. He is now a hate-figure at the Emirates, but also unpopular in his native France, after the latest set of player histrionics which shamed the nation at yet another international tournament.

Armand Traore

French left-back Traore will remember his final appearance in an Arsenal shirt for all the wrong reasons. He was part of the makeshift defence which was embarassed 8-2 by Manchester United in August, and was sold to QPR the very next day. For Arsenal to secure £1.2 million for him was a success in light of that showing. He made 18 starts for QPR and five substitute appearances, memorably on the last day of the season in which he put in a deadly cross for Jamie Mackie to head home what looked to be a heartbreaking goal for Nasri and Clichy's City side before their late comeback. With Mark Hughes sure to strengthen next season, the player signed by Neil Warnock faces an uncertain future, but he did his reputation no harm after it took a battering in that one game at Old Trafford.

Also released:

Gilles Sunu - now at Lorient - 15 games/1 goal

Luke Freeman - now at Stevenage - 32 games/7 goals

Mark Randall - now at Chesterfield - 16 games/1 goal

Jamie Edge - now at West Bromwich Albion - 14 reserve appearances

Overall did Arsenal do good business last summer? How much do you think they can recoup this year in player sales?

image: © wonkerq