Recently, Charles Watts wrote a great article on goal.com listing Arsenal’s 15 most expensive signings. I thought I’d take it a step further and give my thoughts and ratings on the success of each of those signings.
Lucas Torreira
5/10
I really liked Torreira when he came into the squad. He was a tenacious, hard-working, one-man clean-up crew at the base of the midfield. That is, when he was played correctly. As time went on, Emery started playing him further up the field, negating some of his best qualities. It’s a shame that he seems so set on leaving now, but if Arteta doesn’t seem to want to use him, then hopefully we can at least get a decent fee for what is a really solid player.
William Saliba
7/10
It’s too early to tell whether or not Saliba will be a success at Arsenal, but you can’t deny that there is definitely quality there. He won Ligue 1 young player of the year and has not missed a beat since rejoining Arsenal in preseason. At worst, we will be able to sell him on for much more than we paid for him. At best, we’ve got a generational talent at the heart of our defense for the next half-decade or more.
Oleksandr Zinchenko
7/10
Having just signed him less than a week ago, we’ve really only had 45 minutes to see how Alex will fit in at Arsenal. However, he was a well-utilized player at Man City and is a captain for the Ukrainian national team, so we know the quality is there. On top of that, he already has a great relationship with Arteta and seems to fit the exact style we’re trying to play. If nothing else, his floor will make him well-worth the £30m we spent on him.
Fabio Vieira
5/10
Vieira is the player on this list with the most unknowns surrounding him. He hasn’t played a single minute in this preseason and has barely been able to train, having come to the club with an existing injury. He could end up challenging for Odegaard’s spot if he proves to be a “special talent” as Arteta described him. Or, he could end up spending most of his time on the bench or in the stands in a boot. Only time will tell.
Martin Odegaard
8/10
Could be confirmed as our captain by the time you’re reading this (and rightfully so, in my opinion). He is the engine that drives our attack and defensive press. It’s hard to believe that he’s still only 23 considering how long he’s been playing first-team football. If he continues to improve at this same rate, that loan move and £30m transfer fee will end up looking like a stroke of genius.
Alexis Sanchez
9/10
Often regarded as one of the best players of the Emirates era. He was an absolute workhorse in attack, sometimes to the team’s detriment. He would often lose the ball when trying audacious runs at the opponents’ back line, but every once in a while that tenacity produced a spectacular goal. His link up play with Ozil was something to behold and was the closest thing to real Wenger-ball that modern fans have gotten. Like a few other players on this list, things didn’t quite end on a high note. However, in the four years he spent in red and white, Alexis produced enough high-caliber performances to easily justify his price.
Granit Xhaka
7/10
Like him or hate him, there’s a reason that Xhaka has started an average of 30 games in his six seasons at Arsenal, even with three different managers. Sure, he has his trademark moments, but apart from one or two of those per season, he is a solid and experienced presence in the center of the pitch. Though he may not be world-class, he is a quality option to have in the squad, not only for what he does on the pitch, but in the dressing room as well. As Charles mentioned in his article, if nothing else, the length of his career at Arsenal makes the £35m price tag seem like a good bit of business.
Shokdran Mustafi
2/10
You can’t look back on Mustafi’s time at Arsenal and do anything but grimace. He came into the side from Valencia with some actual promise, but just did not come close to living up to even the most pessimistic of expectations. I only give him a 2/10 because he had at least a few decent games at Arsenal, but not nearly enough to justify the price we paid. He was one of many players that we ended up having to pay to leave on a free transfer, so we can’t even say we recouped anything when he left.
Mesut Ozil
9/10
Yet another player that we had to pay to leave. However, unlike Mustafi, Ozil put on a plethora of world-class performances as a gunner. Even though his almost nonexistent defensive work-rate would make him a poor fit for a modern top-tier club, back when he was signed, Ozil fit Wenger’s free-flowing, attacking style of play perfectly. He had a knack for finding passing options that no one else in the world could, and even chipped in with a few goals himself. Had things not ended the way they did, this would have easily been a 10/10 signing.
Thomas Partey
8/10
When fit, Partey has shown that he is a world-class midfielder, even one of the best in the PL. However, those first two words are crucial. He’s only played 24 out of 38 games in each of his first two seasons at the club. But, when he does play, his ability to break defensive lines with his passes and hold the ball up under pressure in the midfield is vital for allowing the rest of our attack to push up like we want them to. Ultimately, the success or failure of Partey’s time at Arsenal, and likewise the money that we spent on him, will come down to whether or not he can shake off these injury woes that have plagued him these past two seasons.
Gabriel Jesus
8/10
It’s surprising to see how many of the signings on this list are from this summer alone, but when you look at a signing like Gabriel Jesus, you start to see why. Arsenal are really splashing the cash this season on more experienced, high-quality players who will come and make an immediate impact on our ability to compete in every game we play. Gabriel Jesus is no exception. In fact, he’s the prime example.
Though we have only seen him in preseason, we’ve had five games to see him play, both against inferior opposition and against much tougher teams that you would expect to cause trouble for us. He injects energy into our front line. He unlocks the rest of our front line with his movement. But, most importantly, seven goals in five games shows that he knows how to put the ball in the back of the net. I know it’s way too early to call, but I think it would take a calamitous set of circumstances for Jesus to not be a top-tier signing.
Alexandre Lacazette
5/10
A lot of people were understandably happy to see Lacazette leave at the end of last season. Only two goals from open play is absolutely abysmal from your starting center forward. However, Lacazette did have some solid seasons during his Arsenal tenure. Apart from 2021/22, he was consistently providing 10+ goals per season and put in some solid performances. They just weren’t enough to live up to a (at the time) record transfer fee.
Ben White
7/10
This is another recent signing that is tough to judge the success of at this time. His first season at Arsenal can’t be called anything but a success, but with new competition from the returning Saliba, this will be a season where White will really need to show his quality. If not, he could see himself on the bench more often than not. One thing he does have going for him is his ability to also play as a right-back when needed, and with Tomiyasu seeming to be a bit injury-prone, it may be needed more than we would hope. I’m fairly confident he will succeed at Arsenal, but if all else fails, his age and talent would allow us to recoup most, if not all, of his £50m transfer fee.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
8/10
Like Ozil, the way Auba’s time at Arsenal ended can and will sometimes overshadow what was a phenomenal 4 seasons at the club. Winning the Golden Boot and propelling the team to an FA Cup and Community Shield win, Auba was a prolific goalscorer during his time with us. All of this while also sometimes playing out on the left instead of his preferred central spot in order to try and work both him and Lacazette into the squad. Even though his fallout with Arteta (and the subsequent saga that ended in a costly contract termination) are quite fresh in the mind, 92 goals in 163 appearances can’t be overlooked.
Nicolas Pepe
3/10
For some, 3/10 might be harsh. For others, a 1/10 wouldn’t be harsh enough. A £72m record-shattering transfer fee is liable to spark that kind of division. Sure, you can’t blame him for the fact that Arsenal forked over that kind of money, but at the same time, the inconsistency he’s shown over the course of his time at Arsenal would barely be considered okay for a player costing a fraction of that fee. I think it’s highly unlikely that Pepe can turn his fortunes around at Arsenal. At best, he may give us one more season where he shows glimpses of the talent that we know he has, and some team forks over ~£20m next summer. I’d love to be proven wrong, though.
