Manchester City FC

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Gunners exodus upset Toure

02 Aug 2009 - 11:29:17

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Manchester City defender Kolo Toure believes Arsenal have gone backwards in the last few seasons.

The 28-year-old Ivory Coast international opted to leave the Gunners for £16million earlier this week and says that Arsene Wenger's failure to replace established stars was the main reason for his departure.

He said: "When you look at Arsenal you see all the great players have left and are now in the past.

"Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Ray Parlour have gone. We lost too many leaders at Arsenal.

"They all helped to bring success to Arsenal and I believe that it was right at this stage of my career to also move on.

"When we were winning the league the spirit was fantastic, we were like a band of brothers.

"The best teams are at the top only because they have the best players and to get those players you have to spend a lot of money.

"You can't be successful in football without money. This is the football business."