From Sol Campbell to Robin Van Persie: 10 best Arsenal transfer signings in Premier League history
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Arsenal are one of the most successful teams in the Premier League and have enjoyed great successes in the past. Although the club has struggled to match those success levels recently, they are very active in the transfer market and attract top talent.
With that in mind, we take a look into the 10 best Arsenal transfer signings in the Premier League history.
10 best Arsenal transfer signings in Premier League history
Patrick Vieira
French defensive midfielder Patrick Vieira is one of the greatest players to have played for the North London club. Vieira joined the club in 1996 for a transfer fee of £3.5 million and went on to captain the side to their Invincible Premier League title winning season. He made 452 appearances in his 9 seasons at the club and scored 40 goals from a deep underlying position. He won 3 Premier League titles and 4 FA Cups during his long tenure at the club.
Sol Campbell
Sol Campbell made the drastic move of joining his direct rivals from Tottenham Hotspur in 2001. He joined on a free transfer and went on to play for 6 years at the club. He won two Premier League titles and was a key figure in the heart of defense in their Invincible campaign in 2003-04. He made 211 appearances for the club and scored 12 goals. He rejoined the club in 2010 and stayed for a year.
Emmanuel Petit
Arsenal signed Emmanuel Petit in June 1997 for £2.5 million from AS Monaco, alongside his former manager Arsene Wenger. The midfielder was an instant success at the club as he partnered with French midfielder Vieira and led them to the double in his first season winning the league and the FA Cup. He left the club in 2000 after making 118 appearances and winning 4 trophies at the club.
Gilberto Silva
The Brazilian medio joined Arsenal in 2002 after an impressive showing the FIFA World Cup. Gilberto Silva joined for a meagre fee of £4.5 million from his native club Atlético Mineiro. He went on to become one of the best midfielders to have played at the club and stayed at North London for 6 years till 2008. He was a part of the midfield trio of Vieira and Edu and was integral to them winning the league in 2004. He also lifted the FA Cup and the Community Shield twice.
Robin Van Persie
The Flying Dutchman, Robin van Persie joined the Gunners for £2.75 million from Dutch club Feyenoord. The striker stayed on at the club for 8 years winning the FA Cup and the Community Shield in 2004. He made a total of 278 appearances at the club scoring 132 goals and went on to become one of the club’s best strikers in modern history.
Mesut Ozil
One of Arsenal’s best signings of recent times, Mesut Ozil joined the club in 2013 from Spanish giants Real Madrid in a move worth almost about £42.5 million. He had a stellar role in ending Arsenal’s trophy drought in the season 2013-14 when they won the FA Cup. He won the FA Cup on 3 occasions and also lifted the FA Community Shield in 2015 during his time at the Emirates. He scored 44 goals in 254 matches for Arsene Wenger’s side before leaving the club in 2020 ending his 8 year association.
Thierry Henry
A Premier League legend and Hall of Fame entrant Thierry Henry is arguably Arsenal’s best ever signing of all time. He made the move to the Premier League in for £11 million and paid them back heavily with his huge number of goals. Henry is not only the all time Arsenal top scorer with 226 goals, but he is also considered to be the best player to ever play for the club. He won 6 trophies for the Gunners and was a part of the Invincible team in 2004.
Aaron Ramsey
Another one of Arsenal’s recent signings, Welsh midfielder Aaron Ramsey makes the cut in the club’s best every transfer signings. He joined the Gunners from Cardiff City with a transfer fee of about £4.8 million. Playing as a creative midfielder, Ramsey partnered up with Ozil and provided a number of assists while also scoring important goals for the club. He made 369 appearances for Arsenal and scored 66 goals in total for the club. He was part of the teams which won the FA Cups on 3 different years and also has 2 FA Community Shield titles to his name.
Ian Wright
English striker Ian Wright joined Arsenal in September 1991 for £2.5m which was a club record fee at that time. The striker went on to become a legend at the club featuring 288 times for the Gunners in which he produced a whopping 188 goals. He won the Premier League in 1997-98 and also won the European Cup Winners’ 1993-94.
Dennis Bergkamp
Dutch striker Dennis Bergkamp was signed by Bruce Rioch who was in charge of the club for a single year, and he brought Bergkamp in from Inter Milan for £7.5 million in 1995. He hit the ground running in English football after a couple of years and and transformed himself into one of the best in the league. His 120 goals in 423 appearances speaks volumes of his silky and smooth skills making him one of the better players to watch in the game. He is one of the most successful players at the club and has 10 trophies to his name including 3 Premier League titles.
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