I'll always regret leaving Arsenal - I couldn't even speak to my new boss afterwards

Arsenal have seen countless fan favourites leave over the years but plenty of those players have had regrets after choosing pastures new

As the January transfer window opens, some Arsenal players may be eyeing an exit in search of more game time. However, Gunners fan favourite Alexander Hleb has previously spoken about the heartache he felt when he left the club for Barcelona back in 2008.

Despite only spending three years at Emirates Stadium, his time under Arsene Wenger's tutelage had a profound impact on him. Hleb was a key figure in the Arsenal squad that made it to the Champions League final in 2006, carving out a name for himself in the post-Invincibles era.

His stellar performances caught the attention of other clubs and Pep Guardiola brought him to Barcelona in his first summer as manager. Joining what would later be hailed as one of football's greatest teams, Hleb was part of the squad that clinched an unforgettable treble in Guardiola's debut season.

Yet, the move wasn't the dream scenario many would imagine, with the playmaker admitting the thought of leaving Arsenal brought him to tears.

In a candid interview with Planet Football in 2023, Hleb said: "It's still difficult for me to explain why I left Arsenal. I was absolutely happy there. Arsene completely trusted me, it was idyllic. And then I decided to leave."

He continued: "I was on vacation and agents and managers convinced me that I had to go to Barcelona. To be honest, I didn't really understand what I was doing. At some point, I realised, 'Oh god! I'm leaving Arsenal!'

"When Arsene said that it was a matter of hours, I felt devastated. It was really hard for me to accept that. Wenger did everything to make me stay at Arsenal.

"He even texted me as I was fishing. 'Alex, I won't let you go, we need you here.' I cried when I read it."

Hleb managed 36 outings for Barcelona in total, with 19 of those being starts, as Pep Guardiola's team established their supremacy. Whilst the Catalan giants basked in their triumphs, the former Arsenal star was left to contemplate being omitted from the Champions League final squad in 2009 - a snub that Hleb branded "a knife in my back".

He revealed: "I never spoke to Guardiola after that. I could understand him because I didn't behave well enough myself. But it was incredibly painful."

After that inaugural campaign, Hleb never featured for Barcelona again, instead spending the following years on temporary spells at Stuttgart, Birmingham City and Wolfsburg. The Belarusian accepted responsibility for failing to settle into his new Spanish surroundings, yet his affection for Arsenal and Wenger remained unwavering.

"Wenger is like a father to me. It was really easy to work with him, you always felt his support," he revealed.

Hleb clocked up 130 appearances for the Gunners but appeared to regret not spending more time under Wenger's guidance. He remembered the Arsenal manager rejecting his proposal for a loan move while recovering from injury during his debut season at the club.

"He was like, 'Stop it! I believe in you! Don't even think about things like that,'" Hleb recalled. "Honestly? I just flew out of the room. It really felt like I had wings.

"Arsene truly feels his players. He says exactly what a player needs to hear. I think there are very few guys who might say that they haven't enjoyed working with him. Everyone felt like they would get a chance. And I think most players who left ultimately regretted it."