They were the much-celebrated "British core" of Arsenal , and the players who would definitely carry the Gunners to glory.

Five years later, those dreams lie in tatters.

This December 2012 picture of Carl Jenkinson, Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere, Kieran Gibbs and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has understandably been on the minds of Arsenal fans this week, as Gibbs and Oxlade-Chamberlain have departed for pastures new and the club continues to tear itself apart from the inside.
He's gone, and he's not the only one (
Image:
@TheRedmenTV/Twitter)

But what happened to those five players over this half a decade?

Arsenal fans, buckle up.

Carl Jenkinson
Jenkinson as he was probably always destined to turn out (
Image:
BCFC.COM)

THEN: A homegrown right-back and boyhood Arsenal fan living the dream as he was thrown into the team for the first five matches of the 2012/13 season. The sky was the limit.

NOW: Just joined Birmingham City on a season-long loan, his third temporary stint away from the club after two spells at West Ham. Has managed 62 appearances for the Gunners, although never quite escape that "competition winner" vibe.

Aaron Ramsey
Not universally popular (
Image:
Getty Images Europe)

THEN: After recovering from a horrendous broken leg suffered in a game at Stoke in 2010, Welsh international Ramsey was slowly feeling his way back to full fitness. It was taking some patience, but the signs were good.

NOW: After plundering 16 goals in the 2013/14 season it looked as though the penny had dropped and that Ramsey was becoming one of the best central midfielders in the Premier League. He's stayed a regular in the team since then, but remains blighted by inconsistency.

Jack Wilshere
Wilshere was recently sent off playing for Arsenal's under 23s (
Image:
Getty)

THEN: The future of English football. Wilshere would appear in the majority of Arsenal's games in both the 2012/13 and 2013/14 seasons, with fine displays in the Champions League turning heads. He looked to be a staple in the Arsenal and England side for years.

NOW: It's a sad story. Injuries have blighted Wilshere's career, destroying something that was once so promising. He went on loan to Bournemouth last season, and was linked with a similar switch to Birmingham during the transfer window just passed, but failed to make the switch.

Kieran Gibbs
Gibbs in his new Baggies kit (
Image:
WBA/Twitter)

THEN: Slowly working his way into the team after coming through the ranks at the club, the left-back was vying with Andre Santos for a place in the lineup in the 2012/13 season. Unsurprisingly, he won that battle pretty convincingly.

NOW: A steady progression as Arsenal's first-choice left-back continued for a few more years, but he lost his way due to poor form and injury. Nacho Monreal eventually surpassed him, and Arsene Wenger's switch to a back three effectively killed off his chances. He joined West Brom for £7m this week .

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Oxlade-Chamberlain's new look (
Image:
Liverpool FC)

THEN: The exciting winger had forced his way into the first team following his arrival from Southampton a year-and-a-half earlier, and he was seen as both one for the future and the present as he impressed Gunners fans.

NOW: An inconsistent presence in the Gunners team over the past five years, he always seemed to be the first man substituted or rotated out of the team whenever there was a problem. Fed up of this, he jumped ship to Liverpool on deadline day.

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