Arsenal aren’t known as big spenders, something that is evident when you see their 51 most expensive players.
Perhaps the first thing that jumps out at you is how the largest fees have all come in recent years which, I guess isn’t much of a surprise. Still, it’s glaring.
12 of the top 14 are still at Arsenal and the other two are Alexis Sanchez and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
15 of the top 50 still play for the club and if you count working for the club that rises to 20 with Mikel Arteta, Edu, Per Mertesacker and Ambassadors, Robert Pires and Lauren all on the list.
Arsenal have also only spent over £20m 13 times.
To put that in context, Chelsea have spent over £20m 36 times, Manchester City 35, Manchester United 31, Liverpool 21 and Spurs 13 also.
The team we’ve given the most money to is Lille, handing over a total of £106m for Gervinho, Nicolas Pepe and Gabriel.
They’re also one of three clubs we’ve bought three players from in our top 50. The others are Borussia Dortmund and Southampton.
We’ve bought two from the top 50 from the same club five times – Chelsea, Everton, Malaga, Manchester United and Marseille.
Arsenal’s 50 most expensive signings
51David Luiz £7.83m
Arsenal’s Brazilian defender David Luiz (L) reacts during the English Premier League football match between Aston Villa and Arsenal at Villa Park in Birmingham, central England on July 21, 2020. (Photo by Rui Vieira / POOL / AFP)
from Chelsea
50Edu £7.88m
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM: Arsenal’s Sylvain Wiltord (L) jumps on teammate Edu (R) after he scored the opening goal against Grimsby Town’s in The Worthington Cup 4th round match at Highbury in London 27 November 2001. AFP PHOTO Adrian DENNIS
from Corinthians
49Richard Wright £8.10m
14 Apr 2002: David Seaman and Richard Wright of Arsenal leave the field after the AXA FA Cup Semi Final between Arsenal and Middlesbrough at Old Trafford, Manchester. Credit: Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images
from Ipswich
48Bacary Sagna £8.10m
LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 25: Bacary Sagna of Arsenal reacts during the Barclays Premier League match between Arsenal and Swansea City at Emirates Stadium on March 25, 2014 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
from Auxerre
47Robert Pires £8.82m
Robert Pires
from Marseille
46Nacho Monreal £9m
LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 15: Nacho Monreal of Arsenal takes a throw in during the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 second leg match between Arsenal and AC Milan at Emirates Stadium on March 15, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
from Malaga
45Emmanuel Adebayor £9m
Emmanuel Adebayor, during his Arsenal days.
from Monaco
44Tomas Rosicky £9m
Super Tom
from Borussia Dortmund
43Theo Walcott £9.45m
Theo Walcott
from Southampton
42Lauren £9.63m
LONDON – NOVEMBER 13: Lauren of Arsenal (R) celebrates with Thierry Henry during the Barclays Premiership match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal at White Hart Lane on November 13, 2004 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)
from Mallorca
41Dennis Bergkamp £10.13m
Dennis does Newcastle
from Inter Milan
40Per Mertesacker £10.17m
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 27: Per Mertesacker of Arsenal celebrates with the trophy after The Emirates FA Cup Final between Arsenal and Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on May 27, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
from Werder Bremen
39Thomas Vermaelen £10.8m
LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 18: Thomas Vermaelen of Arsenal in action during the Barclays Premier League match between Arsenal and Sunderland at Emirates Stadium on August 18, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
from Ajax
38Olivier Giroud £10.8m
Arsenal’s French striker Olivier Giroud (L) and Arsenal’s English midfielder Theo Walcott (R) celebrate their victory after the final whistle in the English Premier League football match between Newcastle United and Arsenal at St James’ Park in Newcastle Upon Tyne, northeast England, on May 19, 2013 (Ian MacNicol/AFP/Getty Images)
from Montpellier
37Mikel Arteta £10.8m
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 15: Mikel Arteta of Arsenal is congratulated by team mates after scoring to make it 4-0 during the Barclays Premier League match between Arsenal and Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium on May 15, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
from Everton
36Gervinho £10.8m
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND – AUGUST 13: Gervinho of Arsenal confronts Joey Barton of Newcastle shortly before being shown the red card by referee Peter Walton during the Barclays Premier League match between Newcastle United and Arsenal at St James’ Park on August 13, 2011 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
from Lille
35Mohamed Elneny £11.25m
LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 11: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Arsenal celebrates scoring the 2nd Arsenal goal with Mohamed Elneny of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Watford at Emirates Stadium on March 11, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
from Basel
34Laurent Koscielny £11.25m
BAKU, AZERBAIJAN – MAY 29: Laurent Koscielny of Arsenal looks dejected as he walks past the Europa League Trophy whilst coduring the UEFA Europa League Final between Chelsea and Arsenal at Baku Olimpiya Stadionu on May 29, 2019 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
from Lorient
33Giovanni van Bronckhorst £12.15m
LONDON – MARCH 2: Kevin Lisbie of Charlton Athletic shields the ball from Giovanni van Bronckhorst of Arsenal during the FA Barclaycard Premiership match held on March 2, 2003 at Highbury, in London. Arsenal won the match 2-0. (Photo by Jamie McDonald/Getty Images)
from Rangers
32Eduardo £12.15m
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – AUGUST 15: Da Silva Eduardo of Arsenal celebrates with teammate Emmanuel Eboue (R) after scoring his team’s sixth goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Everton and Arsenal at Goodison Park on August 15, 2009 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
from Dinamo Zagreb
31Alex Oxalde-Chamberlain £12.42m
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 28: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain of Arsenal looks on during the UEFA Champions League Group F match between Arsenal and Olympiacos at the Emirates Stadium on September 28, 2011 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
from Southampton
30Petr Cech £12.6m
LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 11: Troy Deeney of Watford sees his penalty saved by Petr Cech of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Watford at Emirates Stadium on March 11, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
from Chelsea
29Gabriel Paulista £12.6m
Gabriel Paulista
from Villarreal
28Aleksandr Hleb £13.5m
MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM – FEBRUARY 16: Aleksandr Hleb of Arsenal looks dejected during the FA Cup sponsored by E.ON 5th Round match between Manchester United and Arsenal at Old Trafford on February 16, 2008 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
from Stuttgart
27Mathieu Debuchy £13.5m
LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 11: Mathieu Debuchy of Arsenal is challenged by Marko Arnautovic of Stoke City and subsequently picks up an injury during the Barclays Premier League match between Arsenal and Stoke City at Emirates Stadium on January 11, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
from Newcastle
26Lukas Podolski £13.5m
Arsenal’s German defender Per Mertesacker (L) and German striker Lukas Podolski (R) attend a training session at the London Colney, North London, on November 3, 2014, on the eve of the UEFA Champions League Group D football match between Arsenal and Anderlecht. AFP PHOTO/GLYN KIRK
from FC Koln
25Francis Jeffers £13.77m
Arsenal’s Francis Jeffers lands on Manchester United’s Philip Neville after a hard tackle which resulted in a red card for Jeffers during the FA Community Shield soccer match 10 August, 2003 in Cardiff, Wales, UK. Manchester United and Arsenal tied one goal each with Manchester United winning on penalty kicks 5-4. AFP PHOTO/JIM WATSON
from Everton
24Samir Nasri £14.4m
LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 20: Samir Nasri of Arsenal looks on during the Barclays Premier League match between Arsenal and Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium on August 20, 2011 in London, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
from Marseille
23Sokratis £14.4m
PORTSMOUTH, ENGLAND – MARCH 02: Sokratis Papastathopoulos of Arsenal celebrates after scoring his team’s first goal during the FA Cup Fifth Round match between Portsmouth FC and Arsenal FC at Fratton Park on March 02, 2020 in Portsmouth, England. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
from Borussia Dortmund
22Thierry Henry £14.49m
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM: Ledley King (L) of Tottenham follows Arsenal’s Thierry Henry (R) across the field during their Premiership match at White Hart Lane in London 13 November 2004. Both players scored in the game with Arsenal winning the match 5-4. AFP PHOTO Adrian DENNIS
from Juventus
21Andrey Arshavin £14.85m
Arsenal’s Russian midfielder Andrey Arshavin celebrates after scoring a goal during his team’s Champions League round of 16, 1st leg football match against FC Barcelona on February 16, 2011 at the Emirates Stadium in London. AFP PHOTO/LLUIS GENE.
from Zenit St. Petersburg
20Sylvain Wiltord £15.75m
BOLTON – APRIL 26: Sylvain Wiltord of Arsenal celebrates after scoring the first goal during the FA Barclaycard Premiership match between Bolton Wanderers and Arsenal held on April 26, 2003 at the Reebok Stadium in Bolton, England. The match ended in a 2-2 draw. (Photo by Gary M. Prior/Getty Images)
from Bordeuax
19Santi Cazorla £17.1m
AFP PHOTO/GLYN KIRK
from Malaga
18Jose Antonio Reyes £18m
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM: Arsenal’s Jose Reyes (top) flies over Gary Neville of Manchester United during their FA Premier League clash at Highbury in London, 28 March 2004. AFP PHOTO / ODD
from Sevilla
17Lucas Perez £18m
(PATRICK HERTZOG/AFP/Getty Images)
from Deportivo La Coruna
16Danny Welbeck £18m
Arsenal’s British striker Danny Welbeck celebrates after scoring a goal during the UEFA Europa League quarter-final second leg football match between CSKA Moscow and Arsenal at VEB Arena stadium in Moscow on April 12, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Alexander NEMENOV
from Manchester United
15Calum Chambers £18.21m
LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 09: Callum Chambers of Arsenal celebrates their second goal scored by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Arsenal FC at London Stadium on December 09, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
from Southampton
14Bernd Leno £22.5m
Arsenal’s German goalkeeper Bernd Leno gestures during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Newcastle United at the Emirates Stadium in London on February 16, 2020. (Photo by IAN KINGTON/AFP via Getty Images)
from Bayer Leverkusen
13Gabriel Magalhaes £23.4m
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 19: Alexandre Lacazette of Arsenal celebrates with teammate Gabriel after scoring his team’s first goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal and West Ham United at Emirates Stadium on September 19, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Walton – Pool/Getty Images)
from Lille
12Kieran Tierney £24.3m
kieran tierney via arsenal
from Celtic
11Lucas Torreira £25.79m
LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 02: Lucas Torreira of Arsenal celebrates after scoring his team’s fourth goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Tottenham Hotspur at Emirates Stadium on December 1, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
from Sampdoria
10William Saliba £25.79m
William Saliba on his friendly debut against MK Dons (Photo via David Price on Twitter)
from Saint-Etienne
9Henrikh Mkhitaryan £30.6m
Arsenal’s Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan (L) and Arsenal’s Spanish defender Nacho Monreal (R) react to another missed chance during the pre-season friendly football match for the Emirates Cup between Arsenal and Lyon at The Emirates Stadium in north London on July 28, 2019. (Photo by Ben STANSALL / AFP)
from Manchester United
8Shkodran Mustafi £36.9m
LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 23: Shkodran Mustafi of Arsenal looks on during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Everton FC at Emirates Stadium on February 23, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
from Valencia
7Alexis Sanchez £38.25m
Alexis sick. Picture: Telegraph
from Barcelona
6Granit Xhaka £40.5m
FRANKFURT AM MAIN, GERMANY – SEPTEMBER 19: Granit Xhaka of Arsenal applauds the fans after the UEFA Europa League group F match between Eintracht Frankfurt and Arsenal FC at on September 19, 2019 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. (Photo by Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Bongarts/Getty Images)
from Borussia Monchengladbach
5Mesut Ozil £42.3m
Arsenal’s Spanish head coach Mikel Arteta (R) embraces Arsenal’s German midfielder Mesut Ozil (L) on the pitch after the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium in London on January 1, 2020. – Arsenal won the game 2-0. (Photo by Ian KINGTON / IKIMAGES / AFP)
from Real Madrid
4Thomas Partey £45m
Thomas Partey with Arsenal (Photo via Arsenal on Twitter)
3Alexandre Lacazette £47.7m
Arsenal’s French striker Alexandre Lacazette celebrates after scoring their fourth goal during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Newcastle United at the Emirates Stadium in London on February 16, 2020. – Arsenal won the game 4-0. (Photo by IAN KINGTON/AFP via Getty Images)
from Lyon
2Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang £57.38m
Arsenal’s Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang celebrates scoring their third goal during the English Premier League football match between Fulham and Arsenal at Craven Cottage in London on September 12, 2020. (Photo by PAUL CHILDS / POOL / AFP)
from Borussia Dortmund
1Nicolas Pepe £72m
Nicolas Pepe (Photo via Instagram)
from Lille