The spectacle of transfers in football has potentially become as entertaining as the game itself in recent years, with the rise in popularity of both social media and people such as Fabrizio Romano driving ever-growing attention to the drama and excitement of the transfer window.
Alongside this heightened attention, transfer fees have also been subject to huge increases over the past years, with clubs now required to spend more than ever if they are to secure the best players and strengthen their teams.
This has left clubs such as Arsenal, who have returned to competing at the top level under Mikel Arteta, are having to break their transfer records to secure the world-class talent needed to compete for the very best prizes. Lets look at Arsenal’s transfer dealings, picking out the top 10 most expensive transfers in their history:
Declan Rice – July 15 2023, £105 million
Rice is by far the most expensive signing in Arsenal’s history, but the midfielder has certainly shown his quality since joining the club. He has helped to revolutionise Arsenal’s midfield, producing exceptional performances in both more defensive and attacking roles.
Nicolas Pepe – August 1 2019, £72 million
In comparison to Rice, the former record-breaking transfer was far from a success at Arsenal, contributing just 27 goals and 21 assists in 112 outings for the Gunners, an underwhelming contribution given his overwhelming transfer fee.
Kai Havertz – July 1 2023, £65 million
The midfielder-turned-striker has split opinions since swapping Chelsea for Arsenal, with his role for the Gunners rather unclear.
Largely playing upfront for Arsenal, Havertz scored 14 goals in 51 appearances in his first season and has 12 in 28 at the time of writing this campaign, but calls for a true striker have increased in recent weeks due to his poor finishing ability.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – January 31 2018, £56 million
At the time of his signing, Aubameyang was a sensational striker that shocked many when he joined a struggling Arsenal side, but the forward certainly helped elevate the side.
Aubameyang scored 92 goals in 163 appearances for the Gunners before eventually leaving to Barcelona, with the striker going down as a hero at the Emirates before moving to Chelsea in September 2022.
Ben White – July 30 2021, £50 million
White’s transfer to Arsenal was heavily criticised with many believing the fee was far too high, but the defender has put any criticism to bed in the years since his arrival. White has since solidified his status as one of the best full-backs in the Premier League, while he has helped the Gunners in becoming one of the best defensive sides in Europe.
Alexandre Lacazette – July 5 2017, £46.5 million
Another striker on this list, Lacazette failed to every truly hit the heights that he achieved at Lyon before joining the Gunners.
The striker did still impress at times for Arsenal, with his highest scoring season seeing the forward net 19 in 49 appearances, but that tally was far from what the Gunners thought they had signed.
Gabriel Jesus – July 4 2022, £45 million
Jesus seemed to revitalise the Arsenal attack in the initial months after joining from Manchester City, but injuries and his poor finishing ability have disrupted his time with the Gunners, with the striker sitting on just 26 goals from 96 appearances.
Thomas Partey – October 5 2020, £45 million
Partey is another that splits opinion for the Gunners, with his ability when on the pitch clear for everyone to see, helping Arsenal in becoming one of the best defensive teams in Europe, but his injury record since joining has been abysmal.
Mesut Ozil – September 2 2013, £42.4 million
The transfer of Ozil from Real Madrid to Arsenal shocked the world back in 2013, with no one expecting a player of world-class quality to swap Los Blancos for the Gunners.
Ozil’s time at Arsenal certainly divided opinion, but the attacking midfielder was largely a success, striking up a particularly superb partnership with Alexis Sanchez.
Riccardo Calafiori – July 29 2024, £42 million
The newest signing on this list, Calafiori has struggled to adapt to life under Arteta, with the full-back only making 16 appearances due to a mix of injury issues and other players being favoured in his position.
The 22-year-old clearly has bags of potential, and only time will tell whether he can make good on his transfer fee.
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