Where are our 2015 Singapore tourists now?

Ahead of our two pre-season friendlies in Singapore against AC Milan and Newcastle United, let’s rewind the clock to remind ourselves of our Premier League Asia Trophy win 10 years ago.

We beat Singapore Select XI 4-0 on our first visit to the National Stadium in front of just under 30,000 supporters, a hat-trick from 19-year-old Chuba Akpom and a penalty from Jack Wilshere sending us through to the final against Everton, who had beaten Stoke City 5-4 on penalties after a 0-0 draw.

Goals from Theo Walcott, Santi Cazorla and Mesut Ozil took us to a 3-1 win against Everton in front of 52,000 supporters, Ross Barkley scoring a late consolation for the Toffees, in a game that was Petr Cech’s first for us after arriving from Chelsea.

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So what have the players who made up the starting XI and substitutes bench been up to since leaving us, and where are they now?

PETR CECH

After winning the FA Cup in 2017, Cech made over 100 appearances for us and retired in 2019. In 2015/16, he became the only goalkeeper to win the Premier League Golden Glove with two different clubs.

Life after football saw Cech remain between the sticks but in a different sport as he took up ice hockey, initially with Oxford City Stars before moving to Guildford Phoenix, Chelmsford Chieftains and, most recently, Belfast Giants.

HECTOR BELLERIN

Bellerin played 239 games across all competitions for us from 2013 to 2022, winning three FA Cups in the process, also earning himself a place in the 2016 PFA Team of the Year.

The full-back moved to Barcelona in 2022 and Sporting CP in 2023, before returning to Real Betis, where he’d spent time on loan during his time with us. He continues to play for the La Liga side today.

CALUM CHAMBERS

Chambers spent seven seasons with us between 2014 and 2022 after we signed him from his boyhood club Southampton. We sent him out on loan to Middlesbrough and then Fulham, where he made himself the Cottagers’ Player of the Season in 2019.

After leaving us permanently in 2022, Chambers spent two years at Aston Villa and is now on the books at third-tier Cardiff City.

LAURENT KOSCIELNY

Koscielny made over 250 appearances in nine years with us as an integral part of our three FA Cup wins during that period. He was also included in the UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season as we finished as runners-up in 2019.

He moved to Bordeaux that summer and subsequently became a youth coach at Lorient in 2023. He would go on to become their sporting director in 2024.

KIERAN GIBBS

Gibbs spent a decade with our senior team after featuring for our academy sides in the mid-2000s. After a loan spell at Norwich City, he came back to our first-team to win three FA Cups before moving to West Bromwich Albion in 2017.

He spent four years in the West Midlands prior to a switch to Inter Miami. Two years later he hung up his boots in the States but remained part of the club in a media capacity, working for Miami’s broadcasting team.

AARON RAMSEY

Ramsey made over 250 appearances across 11 years with us, winning three FA Cups following spells on loan at Nottingham Forest and Cardiff City.

He completed a permanent move to Juventus in 2019, went on loan to Rangers in 2022, and then moved to Nice before joining his hometown club Cardiff in 2023.

His two-year stint there ended as caretaker manager at the end of the 2024/25 season when he couldn't avoid the Bluebirds slipping into League One, and joined Mexican club UNAM earlier this month.

SANTI CAZORLA

Our 2011/12 Player of the Season registered 13 assists in his debut campaign and went on to help us win the FA Cup in 2014 and 2015. He also won the PFA Fans’ Player of the Month award in December 2014 and January 2015.

He left us for Villarreal after six years of service, spent three years at Al Sadd, and is now enjoying a career that has come full circle back at Real Oviedo, offering to play for free and scoring crucial play-off goals to help them win promotion to La Liga last season, before signing a one-year extension in his 40s.

JACK WILSHERE

Academy graduate Wilshere spent a total of 17 years at the club, including a decade in the senior team. There were loan spells at Bolton Wanderers and Bournemouth, but the midfielder was part of our FA Youth Cup-winning side in 2009 and won the senior trophy in 2014 and 2015.

He moved to West Ham United in 2018 before going to back to Bournemouth and ending his playing career at AGF in Denmark.

After taking charge of our under-18s and guiding them to another Youth Cup final, Wilshere joined Norwich City’s coaching staff for the 2024/25 season and was named interim manager of the Canaries at the end of the campaign, before departing.

MESUT OZIL

Ozil recorded the second-most assists ever (19) in a single Premier League season in 2015/16. That productivity saw him remain a part of our first team for eight years, racking up over 180 appearances in the process as well as four FA Cup medals.

Our 2015/16 Player of the Season moved to Fenerbahce in 2021 and Istanbul Basaksehir one year later, before hanging up his boots.

He became a board member of the governing Turkish Justice and Development Party in 2025.

THEO WALCOTT

With 65 goals in 270 domestic league appearances to his name, Walcott made the most of his 12 years at Arsenal. He won two FA Cups with us as well as 2006’s BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year.

He moved to Everton in 2018 before a loan move at Southampton became permanent in 2021.

Walcott has since retired and gone into punditry, becoming part of Match of the Day’s presenting team in 2024 and regularly appearing on our Breakdown Live show.

OLIVIER GIROUD

Three-time FA Cup winner Giroud became our 18th-highest all-time goalscorer during his six years in red and white by netting 105 times. He also won the Premier League Player of the Month award for March 2015, and was awarded the 2017 FIFA Puskas Award for his scorpion kick against Crystal Palace.

Since leaving us in 2018, he featured for Chelsea, AC Milan and Los Angeles FC before returning to Lille this summer.

WOJCIECH SZCZESNY

Initially joining our youth set-up in 2006, Szczesny was promoted to the senior squad in 2009/10. After a loan spell at Brentford, he became our first-choice goalkeeper and played all 38 Premier League matches in 2011/12, going on to help us win the FA Cup in 2014 and 2015, before moving on loan to Roma. He also got the Golden Glove in 2014.

He left us permanently in 2017 for Juventus, who he made 200 league appearances for, and is now plying his trade at Barcelona, who he won La Liga with last term.

MATHIEU DEBUCHY

Debuchy arrived in 2014 and would go on to make 30 appearances for us in all competitions. During his time with us, he went out on loan to Bordeaux in 2016 before completing a permanent move to Saint-Etienne in 2018.

That was followed by a switch to Valenciennes in 2021, and Debuchy hung up his boots two years later to dip his toe into coaching.

GABRIEL PAULISTA

Gabriel Paulista was part of our FA Cup-winning sides in 2015 and 2017 before moving to Valencia for the next seven years of his career, where he lifted the Copa del Rey in 2018/19.

He had a brief spell at Atletico Madrid in 2024 and has since been on the books at Besiktas, and won the Turkish Super Cup last term.

MIKEL ARTETA

This one needs no introduction! Arteta ended his playing career with us before returning as head coach in 2019, going on to become our manager and lead us to another FA Cup trophy, as well as three second-place finishes in the Premier League and a return to regular Champions League football.

He was crowned the 2023 Manager of the Year at the London Football Awards, and is closing in on 300 matches as our boss.

ALEX OXLADE-CHAMBERLAIN

Oxlade-Chamberlain came through the academy at Southampton prior to his move to us in 2011. Three FA Cup medals later, he sought pastures new with Liverpool, where he won the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, Carabao Cup, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.

He left for Besiktas in 2023 and stayed there for two seasons, before leaving earlier this month.

NACHO MONREAL

Nacho spent six years with us from 2013 to 2019, winning the PFA Player of the Month award in October 2017 and being part of three FA Cup-winning campaigns.

Upon leaving us, the defender headed to Real Sociedad for three seasons before hanging up his boots in 2022, announcing his retirement at the age of 36.

MATHIEU FLAMINI

Flamini stayed in England after his three years with us, moving to Crystal Palace in 2016, before switching to Getafe in 2018 to end his playing career.

He is now an entrepreneur as the co-founder of GF Biochemicals, with the ambition of finding sustainable alternatives to oil-based products.

CHUBA AKPOM

A product of our Hale End Academy, Akpom had plenty of loan spells throughout his time with us, including at Brentford, Coventry City, Nottingham Forest, Hull City, Brighton & Hove Albion, and Sint-Truiden.

He went on to move permanently to PAOK in 2018 and then Middlesbrough for a three-year spell, during which he went back to PAOK on loan. Akpom is now an Ajax player who spent last season on loan at Lille.

FRANCIS COQUELIN

Defensive midfielder Coquelin arrived at our academy in 2008, progressing through to the first-team and going on to make over 100 league appearances for us. Across a decade in our senior team, he spent time out on loan at Lorient, Freiburg and Charlton Athletic.

2018 brought about a permanent move to Valencia, before he transferred to Villarreal two years later. He’s now on the books at Nantes.

ALEX IWOBI

Iwobi has made a name for himself in the Premier League, having made 100 top-flight appearances for us, 123 for Everton and 68 for Fulham.

He’s had a fruitful spell with Marco Silva’s side, scoring 14 goals in the Premier League over the last two seasons and helping the Cottagers to an 11th-place finish in 2024/25.

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