It may seem like it’s a recent phenomenon since Sheikh Mansour’s 2008 takeover of Manchester City however, Arsenal players migrating up north to the Citizens has happened for a long time now.

In the Premier League era alone, over a dozen players have played for both teams even with the ascension to the top from Manchester City in the last decade that would seemingly limit their opportunities of taking players from a rival – although it’s been quite the opposite.

Although the likes of Niall Quinn and the late David Rocastle played for both clubs in the past, neither man played for Arsenal in the Premier League era, so they sadly miss out on this list.

Paul Dickov

Arsenal: 1989-1996 (22 league appearances, 4 league goals)

Man City: 1996-2002; 2006-2008 (164 league appearances, 35 league goals)

A youth team player with the Gunners in the early 1990s, Dickov’s career didn’t take off fully until he left the club in 1996.

Although he won the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup with the club in 1994, his time was usually spent away from North London on loan to Luton Town and Brighton & Hove Albion and when he was back at Highbury he struggled to get a first team spot ahead of Ian Wright.

The final signing of Alan Ball’s tenure as City manager, Dickov’s first season saw him score five goals in 28 starts, as many goals as the number of managers he played for in his first year in Manchester.

In his second season he was the club’s top scorer with nine but City faced the humiliation of relegation to the third tier of English football for the first time.

It was there however, that he perhaps had his finest moment, scoring the late equaliser against Gillingham and former Gunners keeper Vince Bartram (coincidentally Dickov’s best man at his wedding) to level the 1999 Division Two Play-Off final at 2-2 before City won on penalties.

He continued at Maine Road until 2002, helping City gain promotion back to the Premier League before leaving for Leicester City when in 2004 he almost ended Arsenal’s unbeaten run on the last day of the 2003-04 season, scoring an unlikely opener.

He returned to City for a second time in 2006 but failed to add to his goal-scoring tally.

Nicolas Anelka

Arsenal: 1997-1999 (65 league appearances, 23 league goals)

Man City: 2002-2005 (89 league appearances, 37 league goals)

One of Arsène Wenger’s first major signings for Arsenal in 1997, Anelka could be viewed as the pre-cursor to Thierry Henry who would be his replacement.

His explosive pace helped Arsenal win the league and FA cup double in 1998 and was the team’s stop scorer the following season with 19 goals in all competitions but the Gunners couldn’t repeat their double success.

The Frenchman left for Real Madrid in 1999 but after unsuccessful spells in the Spanish capital, Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool, newly promoted City spent a then club record £13m on Anelka to bring him to Manchester.

With goals against Manchester United and former clubs Arsenal and Liverpool in his first season with the club, as well as finishing top scorer with 14 goals, it seemed that he’d turned his career back around.

Anelka was sent off on a return to Highbury in 2004 but still finished his final full season at the new City of Manchester Stadium with 24 goals – City’s top scorer again.

He left for Fenerbahçe in January 2005 although would return to England in 2006 with Bolton Wanderers.

David Seaman

Arsenal: 1990-2003 (405 league appearances)

Man City: 2003-2004 (19 league appearances)

Thirteen years an Arsenal player, legendary goalkeeper David Seaman would finish his career in Manchester with the Citizens less than twelve months after being the hero in the FA Cup for the Gunners.

Seaman joined from Queens Park Rangers in 1990 and won the First Division league title in his first season at Highbury, losing only one game and conceding only 18 goals in one of the meanest defences in the country.

He would remain Arsenal’s first choice goalkeeper up until 2003 despite injuries and would go onto win the double in 1998 and 2002 as well as the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup and the League Cup on top of two other FA Cup wins in 1993 and 2003.

In his 1000th career game, Seaman would be the hero, making one of the greatest ever goalkeeping saves to deny Paul Peschisolido from close range in the FA Cup semi-final and would captain the Gunners on his final appearance in the final, collecting his eighth major honour with the club.

With his playing career winding down, Seaman moved up north at the end of his Arsenal contract to City but a shoulder injury only months into his time there ended his playing career and he announced his retirement in January 2004.

Sylvinho

Arsenal: 1999-2001 (80 league appearances, 5 league goals)

Man City: 2009-2010 (10 league appearances)

It would be five years before a former Gunner turned out for Manchester City again, this time in the form of Brazilian fullback Sylvinho who joined City from FC Barcelona in 2009.

The left back had once been viewed as Nigel Winterburn’s replacement at Highbury when the veteran moved to West Ham United in 2000, which even included emulating Winterburn’s screamer at Stamford Bridge three years after the original in a 2-2 with Chelsea.

Despite being named in the 2001 PFA Team of the Season, Sylvinho was usurped in the starting eleven by the young Ashley Cole and sold to Celta Vigo in the summer before moving onto Barcelona in 2004 capturing two UEFA Champions League titles and three La Liga crowns.

With City having signed Sylvinho’s fellow countryman Robinho from Real Madrid in 2008, they used the now veteran to help acclimatise their foreign star.

His stay only lasted a season and his only goal for the Blues came in a 4-2 FA Cup victory over Scunthorpe United from a trademark long-range effort.

Kolo Touré

Arsenal: 2002-2009 (225 league appearances, 9 league goals)

Man City: 2009-2013 (82 league appearances, 2 league goals)

Part of the 2004 Invincibles team, Kolo Touré became a fan favourite during his seven years on North London after a sloppy start, an adjustment to centre-back made him a formidable force in the Arsenal back line.

Alongside Sol Campbell, Arsenal went through an entire league season unbeaten and Touré was also part of the record setting clean sheet run in the UEFA Champions League that propelled the Gunners to the 2006 final – although they lost 2-1 to FC Barcelona in Paris.

Following an alleged bust-up with defensive partner and former captain William Gallas, Touré left for Manchester City in 2009 and enjoyed mixed success.

He was part of City’s first trophies in 35 years, winning the 2011 FA Cup and 2011-12 Premier League but in March 2011 served a six month ban for failing a drugs test.

In 2013, Touré left City for Liverpool, finishing runners-up to his former club in his first season on Merseyside and later moved to Scottish giants Glasgow Celtic in 2016.

Emmanuel Adebayor

Arsenal: 2006-2009 (104 league appearances, 46 league goals)

Man City: 2009-2012 (34 league appearances, 15 league goals)

Seen to be one of Thierry Henry’s potential successors, Adebayor joined from Monaco in January 2006 with much promise and when he scored 30 goals in 48 games in 2007-08 it looked like that potential may be realised.

Injuries in the following season hampered his time at Arsenal and he became one of City’s big summer signings in 2009 after a very public fall out with the Arsenal fans.

After a great start to life at Eastlands, scoring in each of his first four games for his new club, including against the Gunners in which he infamously ran the length of the Etihad Stadium pitch to celebrate in front of the travelling Arsenal fans – his goal return started to slow down.

His first season at City tuned out to be his only full year there as he was loaned to Real Madrid midway through the next season and spent the next season at Arsenal’s biggest rivals Tottenham Hotspur on loan before permanently signing in 2012.

Patrick Vieira

Arsenal: 1996-2005 (279 league appearances, 29 league goals)

Man City: 2010-2011 (28 league appearances, 3 league goals)

Arsène Wenger’s first signing for Arsenal started to turn the tide from Arsenal being less of a boring defensive side to the exciting counter-attacking threat Wenger transformed them into in his first decade in charge.

The French midfielder overnight made Arsenal a better team through his amazing ball control, ability to create attacks and excellent on-field leadership.

He would go onto win the Premier League three times with the Gunners, including captaining them to the unbeaten season in 2003-04 and also lifted the FA Cup four times, his final act with the Gunners scoring the winning penalty in the 2005 FA Cup final against Manchester United.

He left for Juventus in 2005 but only played one season before moving to Internazionale following the fallout of the Calciopoli scandal where he would win three Serie A titles.

Vieira linked back up with former Inter coach Roberto Mancini in January 2010 and helped City win the FA Cup, playing the closing moments of the final and he retired from his playing career a few months later.

Since his retirement, he’s taken an active role with the Manchester City youth team, being appointed reserve team manager in 2013 before taking the job as manager of City’s American affiliate team New York City FC in 2016 with some believing City are grooming him to be their future head coach.

Gaël Clichy

Arsenal: 2003-2011 (187 league appearances, 1 league goal)

Man City: 2011- (129 league appearances, 2 league goals)

The final and youngest member of the Invincibles to jump ship, Clichy made the move in 2011 alongside fellow Frenchman Samir Nasri.

Having sold Ashley Cole to Chelsea in 2006, Clichy had taken over as first choice left back, even being named in the PFA Team of the Year in 2008 but had been relatively error prone during his time at Arsenal.

At City’s he’s become their first choice left back and helped them win two league titles as well as two League Cup successes.

Samir Nasri

Arsenal: 2008-2011 (86 league appearances, 18 league goals)

Man City: 2011-* (124 league appearances, 18 league goals)

Alongside Clichy, Nasri made the very public switch to City during the final year of his Arsenal contract in 2011, just days after captain Cesc Fabregas, much to the chagrin of the Gunners faithful.

Nasri took time to settle in North London before his breakout career in 2010-11 which saw him nominated for the PFA Player of the Year award – although he lost out to Spurs’ Gareth Bale.

Much like Adebayor, Arsenal fans have not forgiven Nasri for his exit to Eastlands, seeing it as an opportunity to desert the Gunners for more money.

His time at Eastlands has been marginally more successful than the Togo internationals, being apart of two league title successes, although he has struggled to hold down a first team place with City boasting the likes of David Silva, Yaya Toure and more recently Kevin de Bruyne.

Under Pep Guardiola, Nasri has been loaned out to Spanish side Sevilla for the rest of this season and at the end of 2016 was caught up in a doping scandal after it was leaked on Twitter he’d allegedly visited an intravenous clinic with the World Anti-Doping Agency currently investigating.

*Currently on loan at Sevilla

Bacary Sagna

Arsenal: 2007-2014 (213 league appearances, 4 league goals)

Man City: 2014- (50 league appearances)

The final player on the list is Bacary Sagna who left the Gunners for Manchester City at the end of his Arsenal contract in 2014.

A long time servant of Arsenal, Sagna was twice named in the PFA Team of the Year in 2008 and 2011 and was predominantly first choice right back throughout his tenure in North London.

After helping the club secure their first trophy in nine years, winning the 2014 FA Cup, he left for pastures new, joining City on a free transfer.

His time at City has been mixed, winning the 2016 League Cup but at 34-years-old it’s highly likely Guardiola will move him on at the end of this season.

Coaches and 'keepers

Three former Arsenal players have also gone on to be coaches at Manchester City.

Former World Cup winner Alan Ball played at Highbury for five years and later managed City for two years – suffering relegation in 1996.

David Platt joined Arsenal in 1995 alongside Dennis Bergkamp, winning the league and cup double in 1998 as a squad player for the Gunners; he was also an assistant coach at City for three years under Mancini.

Finally, Mikel Arteta announced his retirement from playing with a goal at the Emirates at the end of last season, taking his final Arsenal tally up to eight and he is now a coach under Guardiola at the Etihad.

Two former potential David Seaman successors also followed the former England goalkeeper to Manchester.

Former Arsenal youth teamer Stuart Taylor joined in 2009, whilst Richard Wright signed in 2012 – both men former league winners with the Gunners.

Between them they made one appearance for City however, just a solitary FA Cup appearance from Taylor.

Wright spent four years with the City team as an active player but never made a first team appearance.