Arsenal's most expensive signings ever, including a British record deal for Declan Rice and a £72m fiasco
Arsenal continue to sign Europe's top talent as they look to win the Premier League for the first time since 2004.
The gunmen He pulled out the chequebook for Arsene Wenger, Unai Emery And now comes Mikel Arteta, the Spaniard who continues to spend a lot.
This summer, Riccardo Calafiori joined the club for an initial fee of £33.6m plus add-ons.
However, despite the Italian centre-back's brilliant performances in Serie A last season with Bologna and for Italy at Euro 2024, he is not one of the biggest signings in the club's history.
Only the completion of add-ons, which would make the deal worth £42m, will allow him to crack the top 10.
But what are the most expensive signings in history? Arsenal? talkSPORT.com takes a look…
10. Granit Xhaka: £38.9m
Xhaka He signed for Arsenal in 2016, leaving the German team. Borussia Mönchengladbach to make the leap to the Premier League.
And his time at the Emirates will be remembered for his remarkable recovery.
The midfielder was handed the captain's armband in 2019 but things quickly turned sour when he was booed off the pitch by Gunners fans.
Xhaka responded to the fans by cupping his ear and throwing his shirt to the ground as he walked off the pitch.
It seemed like that incident marked the end of his time at the club, however, he made an unexpected return and ended up becoming a fan favorite.
He played for Arsenal under Mikel Arteta last season, when he helped lead a title race before returning to Germany with Bayer Leverkusen where he won the Bundesliga title in his first season.
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9. Mesut Ozil – £40.6m
Signed from real Madrid, Ozil He arrived as a world-class player and certainly maintained that label at Arsenal.
The German is one of the best attacking midfielders ever seen in the Premier leagueWith its deft touches and incredible skill, its price is a bargain.
Before leaving the Gunners in 2021, he made 254 appearances and boasted a record of 44 goals and 79 assists in all competitions.
His time at the Emirates was marred by a difficult ending that saw him out of the team and even absent from the club's registered squad.
His talent will always be fondly remembered in North London.
Now he's gaining attention for, well, his gains while hitting the gym, making him… An impressive body transformation.
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8. Thomas Partey: £43.2m
Party moved to England from Atletico Madrid in 2020.
The Ghanaian was considered one of the best defensive midfielders in the world at the time, being a key signing for Arteta's team.
He has played a major role in Arsenal's title challenges but overall his career at the Emirates has been marred by injuries.
Partey has been sidelined for more than 330 days during his Gunners career after suffering constant knocks that made his fitness very unreliable.
He has made 115 appearances for the Gunners in total but has been linked with a possible exit in the transfer window.
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7. Gabriel Jesus – £45.1 million
Ironically, Jesus He arrived as a savior for Arsenal in 2022.
Arteta just lost forwards Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyangmeaning he was desperate for a new number 9.
So he returned to his former club to do everything possible to sign the Brazilian. Manchester City after having brought them Erling Haaland.
Jesus has suffered a couple of injuries at the club so far, allowing him to make just 53 Premier League appearances in total over two seasons.
And the Gunners are rumoured to be on the lookout for a new striker once again, with their No.9 scoring just four goals in 24 Premier League appearances last season.
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6. Alexandre Lacazette: £45.8m
Lacazette joined Arsenal from Lyon in 2017 and was a key player for the Gunners during his five years at the club.
The Frenchman has scored more than 10 goals in four of his five Premier League seasons, netting a total of 71 times in 206 appearances in all competitions.
He even wore the captain's armband on occasion while leading the forward line, however, he was unable to lead Arsenal back to the final. Champions League.
After his contract expired in 2022, he returned to Lyon on a free transfer.
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5. Ben White: £50.6m
The signature of White He was criticized by many due to the huge transfer fee when he joined from Brighton in 2021.
However, the transfer was seen as a statement of intents from Arsenal by some, as they paid a lot of money for a player with very high potential.
And the price paid appears to be worth it now that White has played over 100 games for the Gunners, becoming a crucial member of their defence.
He has also won four international caps with England while at the club and is still considered one of the best right-backs in the Premier League.
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4. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: £55.1m
Aubameyang He arrived at Arsenal in 2018 as one of the best strikers in Europe after an impressive spell at Borussia Dortmund.
He scored 10 goals in 13 games after joining the Gunners midway through the 17/18 season, immediately proving his goalscoring ability.
The following season, he would score 22 Premier League goals and also help the club win the FA Cup.
However, things took a turn for the worse in 2020 when he fell out with Arteta and was exiled from the Arsenal squad, which ultimately led to his departure.
The forward left the club to join Barcelona on a free transfer before also having a short and ill-fated stint back in England with Chelsea.
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3. Kai Havertz: £65m
Havertz He joined Arsenal from London rivals Chelsea. to become Arteta's record signing for the club at the time.
The German had struggled at the Blues and many questioned his signing, especially when it cost the Gunners £65m to bring him to the Emirates.
He failed to get off to a good start and did not score his first goal until 30 September in a 4–0 win over Bournemouth.
However, he then hit his straps and Havertz He finished last season with 13 Premier League goals in 37 appearances.
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2. Nicolas Pepe – £72m
Of all the players on this list, Pepe ended up having the worst career at Arsenal.
The winger signed for the Gunners from Lilac in 2019 for a club-record fee of £72m.
However, he struggled from the start and failed to perform consistently, scoring just 27 goals in 112 games for the club.
Pepe was loaned to Nice In 2022, after returning to North London, he and the club were looking for a way out.
No club was able to sign him until this summer, when his contract was terminated to allow him to join Trabzonspor free.
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1. Declan Rice: £105m
After a long saga this summer, Rice He joined Arsenal from West Ham for a British record fee of £105m.
The Gunners have rejected Manchester City's interest in signing the England international in what was A massive blow For the club.
He is now Arsenal's most expensive signing ever and is already living up to his price tag.
Rice's performances in midfield for Arteta's side have made them look even stronger despite once again losing out on the title.
He will now look to remedy that problem this season with the Gunners bringing in more reinforcements.
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