Mikel Arteta has made Arsenal a genuine Premier League title contender in recent seasons.
Arsenal have broken their transfer record and taken their highest fee above the £100m mark during Arteta’s time in charge but they’ve also benefited from young players including Bukayo Saka coming through, modest outlays on the likes of Leandro Trossard and Martin Ødegaard, and outright bargains such as Gabriel Martinelli.
Five of the Gunners’ top ten most expensive players of all time are currently members of the Arsenal squad, meaning Arteta has a mix of big signings, home-grown players and shrewd signings from which to choose.
Who is Arsenal’s most expensive ever signing?
The most expensive Arsenal signing of all time is Declan Rice – ranked at 19 in FourFourTwo’s list of the 100 best players in the world right now. Rice cost £100m plus £5m in add-ons, which, if met, will make him the most expensive English player ever by taking him past Jack Grealish.
Rice moved to Arsenal from West Ham United in the summer of 2023 and has proved a crucial signing for Arteta. The Gunners finished two points behind Premier League winners Manchester City in Rice’s first season at the Emirates Stadium.
Who held the Arsenal transfer record before Declan Rice?
Rice’s £100m fee broke the Arsenal record previously held since August 2019 by Nicolas Pepe, who signed from Lille for £72m and failed to live up to expectations in North London. After a loan at Nice, Pepe joined Trabzonspor on a free transfer after his contract was mutually terminated. The 29-year-old now plays for Villarreal.
Before Pepe, Arsenal’s record signing was Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Gabon’s most expensive footballer moved to Arsenal from Borussia Dortmund for a reported fee of £56m in 2018. It was the first time Arsenal had spent more than £50m on a player.
The other players in the top ten who’ve since left the club are Alexandre Lacazette, Mesut Ozil and Granit Xhaka. The Swiss midfielder returned to Germany with Bayer Leverkusen in 2023, winning the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal under Xabi Alonso.
The current Arsenal players in the top ten are Thomas Partey, Gabriel Jesus, Ben White and Kai Havertz.
Jesus cost the not inconsiderable sum of £45.1m to acquire from Manchester City in 2022. His time in North London has been blighted by injury.
White switched from Brighton & Hove Albion and is Arsenal’s fifth most expensive signing and their most expensive player known not to be much of a football fan.
Havertz cost Arsenal £65m when he moved from Chelsea, making him their third most expensive signing. He’s also the Blues’ second highest fee received for a player after Eden Hazard.
