It has been quite some time since the Gunners from North London have challenged the best teams in the UEFA Champions League or the frontrunners in the English Premier League like Manchester City, Chelsea, and Liverpool. Notwithstanding the lack of relative success in the Premier League and European competitions, the Arsenal football club still remains one of the richest football clubs in England and Europe. The team also is a favourite with bookmakers and punters alike.
Whether the management of the club has been under the Frenchman Arsene Wenger, or recently under the guidance of Mikel Arteta, the Gunners are always prepared to take advantage of the transfer market opportunities and invest the necessary money to acquire the best players available at the time. During this last decade, the Gunners have made some excellent and remarkable signings that carried a heavy investment and pressure on the club’s coffers. The money has been spent on local talent as well as foreign players and coaching staff.
Recent year transfers and fees
During the last few years, the transfer fees in respect of the movement of players from one football club to another have gone highwire. Just to mention a few ones can cite the transfers of Jack Grealish and Romelu Lukaku going for £117.5m and £115m, respectively. Venturing beyond the United Kingdom’s shores and border, one can refer to the astronomic transfer fees involving players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Neymar, and De Light.
In the transfer market, the Gunners have to compete with football giants like Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Juventus, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Paris St German. All clubs scouting for the best talent available and dishing out millions on fees, commissions and wages. Having the best of the best and paying high fees and wages does not necessarily mean buying success. This is amplified by the huge investment made by Paris St German aimed at winning the UEFA Champions League.
Their venture ended abruptly when they faced Real Madrid, who knocked them out of the competition in the desperation of their President and management team. Money has to be carefully invested, and proper evaluation of the required talent is imperative prior to finalising deals. High-profile players can sometimes create problems as they do not fit within the general framework of the manager’s vision of the game. High wages for certain players can create problems with other veteran players being paid less, although the service to the club is much longer than that of the newcomers. There are a number of issues that have to be deeply considered, especially how new signings can affect the morale and performance of the whole team. In football, working together in harmony and playing as a team rather than based on individual skills and talents are crucial elements which can lead any football team to success.
Player transfers and fees paid by the Gunners
Without breaking the bank and focusing on keeping the club’s balance out of the danger zone, the Gunners have made some big signings and splashed a lot of money on players. Some of the top costly signings include:
- Nicolas Pepe is the most expensive player bought by the Gunners. Pepe cost the club a sounding £72m when they bought him from the French club Lille in 2019. Hailing from the Ivory Coast, Pepe only managed to score just five goals in his first season with Arsenal and managed to double the figure in his second season. Unfortunately, in his third season with the Gunners, Pepe only managed to net one goal. Dishing out big money on players is no guarantee to success. In fact, Arsenal is looking at options on how to offload the most expensive player of all time in the current transfer market.
- The second most expensive player bought by Arsenal is Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. This player cost the Gunners a total of £57.4m paid to the German club Borussia Dortmund in 2018. Initially, the transition from the Bundesliga to the Premier League was swift and seamless. His form and talent continued in England until the player and his agent commenced negotiations for a new contract in 2020. The protracted negotiations between club and player, together with the player’s behaviour and diminished form, convinced the club and the manager, Mikel Arteta, to let him go to Barcelona in 2020.
- The English lad Ben White cost Arsenal a hefty £50m to procure his services and convince his former club Brighton to let him go. Being English and having shown great promise when he was on load with Leeds United and then with Arsenal, White’s transfer to the Gunners was greeted and considered as a positive move. Although Ben White has faired quite well in his first season with the Gunners, he needs to improve on his performances to shower up to the big fee paid for his transfer to Arsenal. The coming Premier League season will be a turning point in White’s career.
- The Gunners paid £47.7m to procure the services of Alexander Lacazette. With that amount of money, his former club, Lyon of France, were more than satisfied to part ways with Lacazette. During his five-year tenure with Arsenal, Lacazette has performed satisfactorily but failed to reach the elite level that could make a difference and a positive impact on the club. That said, Lacazette managed to reach double figures in four consecutive seasons with the Gunners. However, his goal-scoring abilities failed to take Arsenal to the promised land of the UEFA Champions League. Lacazette scored a total of seventy-one goals for Arsenal before returning back to his former club on a free transfer.
- Arsenal’s recent signing from Manchester City, Gabriel Jesus, cost the club a staggering £45m. After forfeiting Aubameyang and Lacazette and failing to sign Dusan Vlahovic from the Italian club Fiorentina, the Gunners were eager to sign a seasoned centre-forward. The Brazilian forward found himself in the surplus zone after his former club Manchester City brought in the Norwegian Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund. Club and fans are hoping that Gabriel Jesus will bring the necessary goal-scoring skills to help Arsenal challenge for the English Premier League and a place in the UEFA Champions League.
Other expensive signings done by the Gunners include Thomas Party, signed from Atletico Madrid in 2020 for the sum of £45m; Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid for £42.3m in 2013 and; Granit Xhaka from Borussia Monchengladbach for £40.5m.
As envisaged, the Gunners did not shy away from making the necessary investments. It is now up to the coaching staff to ensure that the new signing fits perfectly in their football vision and strategy and; that the players rise up to the occasion.