‘It’s Difficult To Say Why I Left’ – Ex-Gunners Star Admits He Regrets Leaving Arsenal

Alex Hleb speaks candidly about his time at Arsenal and wonders why he threw it all away…

Former Arsenal midfielder Alex Hleb has admitted that he still doesn’t know why he left north London for Barcelona in 2008, despite being in the squad that won the infamous treble under Pep Guardiola, The Telegraph reports.

Hleb just finished a campaign in which we came the closest we’d ever done to winning the league since the Invincibles campaign, finishing four points off champions Manchester United.

He formed a sensational quartet alongside the likes of Mathieu Flamini, Cesc Fabregas and Tomas Rosicky, and many felt we could see the great times return if they’d stayed together.

However, Arsene Wenger saw his midfield ripped apart with Hleb joining Barcelona and Flamini leaving for free to sign for AC Milan.

Flamini returned five years later, and Hleb wished he could’ve returned after a nightmare few years sitting in the stands at Barcelona, and he regrets that decision to this day.

“Arsenal was fantastic, the greatest time of my life,” Hleb was quoted as saying.

“I love the club, the coaches, my friends. Unbelievable. Everything was a dream. It’s difficult to say why I left.

“I enjoyed my life, woke up with a smile, went to training and loved it,” he added. “Cesc, [Mathieu] Flamini, [Tomas] Rosicky and Robin [van Persie] were my best friends. We were like brothers. We enjoyed each other’s company and knew automatically where each other would be on the pitch.”

A case of ‘the grass isn’t always greener’ came to fruition in Hleb’s case and his departure was also unfortunate for us as a football club.