Arsenal’s Best Transfer Business of the Premier League Era

Over the years, Arsenal, and particularly Arsene Wenger, have made some very shrewd transfer moves. From picking up established players for next to nothing, to scouring the youth systems across the world to uncover potential talent, here are some of Arsenal’s best bits of transfer business in the Premier League era:

Gabriel Martinelli – £6m

The young Brazilian has been a revelation since bursting onto the scene following his move from Brazilian team Ituano. Arsenal forked out just over £6m for his services and having scored 10 goals in his first 26 appearances for The Gunners, that fee is looking like a total bargain. Aged just 18, Martinelli has already made a name for himself in the Premier League and hopefully the best is yet to come as he further develops in the next few years. Anyone who had a bet on Martinelli getting a few goals for Arsenal this season will have seen decent success, and it might be worth checking the Premier League betting odds for him to score 10+ goals next season.

Aaron Ramsey – £5m

Ramsey’s free transfer to Juventus may have upset many Arsenal fans but you can’t argue that he was a great purchase from Cardiff for £5m back in 2008. He made over 350 appearances for Arsenal, scoring 65 goals in that time, helping the club to three FA Cups and two Community Shields along the way. Despite not being able to command a transfer fee for Ramsey, his contribution and performances for the club make the £5m price tag look like outstanding business. If the transfer gossip is to be believed, he may be surplus to requirements at Juventus, and could be on the move soon.

“Aaron Ramsey celebrates his goal” (CC BY 2.0) by Ronnie Macdonald

Rob Holding – £2m

When Arsenal first announced the signing of Rob Holding, there were many sceptical opinions, from both the fan base and the so-called expert analysts. Holding had barely established himself at Championship club Bolton Wanderers but had obviously done enough there and on his loan at Bury to convince the Arsenal scouts that he had great potential. He did suffer a devastating cruciate ligament injury which he has had to battle back from, but since he signed for the club for just £2m in 2016, he has been a reliable squad player.

Nicolas Anelka – £500,000

Wenger really did his homework with this one, picking Anelka up for the relatively tiny sum of £500,000 and later selling him to Madrid for £22m. In 82 overall appearances for the club, he scored 26 goals and quickly became a fans favourite in his time at the club. Unfortunately, Real Madrid came knocking, bringing his time at Highbury to an end just as he was hitting his top form. In terms of profit though, he has to be included in this list of great transfer moves.

Kolo Toure – £150,000

Some might say he lived in his brother’s shadow, but Kolo Toure is without a doubt an Arsenal legend. Bought for just £150,000, he became an integral part of the Invincibles team and will always be remembered fondly for his commitment to the badge.

“Kolo Toure” (CC BY 2.0) by wonker

There are plenty of other players that we could argue were great bargains, from Ian Wright at a mere £2.5m to Vieira at £3.5m but in recent years the transfer market has rocketed, which is why have picked these examples as great transfer business at the time they were bought.