Arsenal have confirmed Abou Diaby’s departure after reaching the end of his contract.
The 29-year-old has only made one appearance last season as he spent most of it in the sidelines after being struck by injuries.
The club praised the player in a statement that said: “A hugely talented midfielder, unfortunately his time at the club was interrupted by a number of serious injuries.”
Former Arsenal player Bacary Sagna, who is also a French compatriot of Diaby, once hailed him and glorified his talent.
“To me, he is one of the best in the world,” Sagna said. “He can be useful for the team and he can be decisive.”
The current Manchester City player even went as far as comparing him to Arsenal great Patrick Vieira, who captained Arsenal to their unbeaten Premier League title back in 2004.
“When he is at his best he can play as well as Patrick Vieira did and as good as many players did.”
Diaby joined the Gunners from Auxerre in 2006 and managed to make just 180 first-team appearances in ten seasons that were shattered by injuries.
The Frenchman has also featured for his national team 16 times. Abou Diaby’s exit was also accompanied with the departure of Jack Jebb, Austin Lipman, Brandan Ormonde-Ottewill and Josh Vickers.
