Arsenal: Saliba, Rice top five in ranking of every Arteta and Emery signing since Wenger exit

Arsenal are have come agonisingly close to Premier League glory two years in a row after Mikel Arteta’s #Process was trusted with plenty of patience and some heavy spending in the transfer market.

They have spent shrewdly at times and stupidly at other times, so here is a ranking of every Arsenal buy since Arsene Wenger left in 2018. The first bracket is their transfer fee and the other one is where they placed when added.

Arsenal: Emery and Arteta signings ranked from worst to best

38) Willian (free) (27)

Signed on astronomical wages after a spell with London rivals Chelsea, Willian scored once in 37 appearances for Arsenal, costing the club a fortune in wages before generously agreeing to terminate his contract last August.

Fair doos to him for getting his career back on track at Fulham.

37) Denis Suarez (£2.2m loan fee) (26)

This was one of the most pointless loan signings in Premier League history. Suarez played six times for Arsenal and did nothing.

36) Alex Runarsson (£1.8m) (25)

Runarsson is probably better with his feet than with his hands which, for a goalkeeper, is not ideal.

35) Stephan Lichtsteiner (free) (24)

Unai Emery turned to the experienced Lichtsteiner when looking for someone to provide cover for Hector Bellerin. He was good for Juventus but was less than impressive in north London. The Swiss right-back spent one season at the Emirates, joining Augsburg before retiring a year later.

34) Nicolas Pepe (£72m) (23)

Pepe scored 27 goals and had 21 assists in 112 matches for the Gunners and has often been criticised for his performances. His price tag has held him back at times; £72m is a lot of money which will always bring more scrutiny, unfortunately for the Ivorian.

He is the biggest what could have been player in Arsenal’s recent history. A lot of fans still love him.

33) Pablo Mari (£5.4m + £7.2m loan fee) (22)

Mari was only signed because he is left-footed. Nobody can convince me otherwise. That loan fee was absolutely ridiculous.

32) Sokratis (£14.4m) (21)

The Greek defender was signed early on by Emery as the Spaniard looked to create a team that could play out from the back like prime Barcelona. It didn’t quite work out that way. Sokratis was a terrific professional during his time at Arsenal but was past his best by the time he made the move to England.

31) Mathew Ryan (loan) (20)

A decent back-up goalkeeper, Ryan spent the second half of 2020/21 at the Emirates. He made three appearances and joined Real Sociedad after his time in north London.

30) Marquinhos (£2.6m) (14)

The teenage Brazilian was signed for next to nothing after being in talks with Wolves.

29) Lucas Torreira (£25.8m) (16)

Torreira hit the ground running after joining the Gunners in 2018. Off the back of a great World Cup campaign with Uruguay, the midfielder instantly became a fan favourite at the Emirates, making 50 appearances in his debut season as Arsenal reached the Europa League final.

But Arteta did not fancy Torriera and the player decided he didn’t want to play in England anymore. He was loaned out to Atletico Madrid in 20/21 and Fiorentina in 21/22 before signing for Galatasaray for a measly £5.2m in August 2022.

4 Man of the Match performances in last 5 Premier League games.

North London Derby goal and bicycle kick winner in last 7 days.

Lucas Torreira is already an Arsenal legend.

— BlameFootball (@blamefootball) December 8, 2018

28) Sambi Lokonga (£15.75m) (10)

Lokonga joined in the summer of 2021 with high hopes. He struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League but proved his worth during a season-long loan spell with Luton Town last term. He’s left for Sevilla on loan with an obligation to buy.

27) Nuno Tavares (£7m) (14)

Hauled off after 30 minutes against then-Championship side Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup. Taken off at half-time against Crystal Palace. Being dropped as central midfielder Granit Xhaka filled in at left-back. Tavares had a rough debut season at Arsenal.

After a decent season on loan at Marseille, Tavares joined Nottingham Forest for 23/24. He is now at Lazio with Matteo Guendouzi.

26) Matt Turner (£5.7m) (18)

Turner was Aaron Ramsdale’s back-up for one year before joining Nottingham Forest, whose addiction to signing goalkeepers is far from ideal.

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25) Dani Ceballos (loan) (17)

There were high hopes after Arsenal signed a player who ran the show as Spain came out victorious at the 2019 Under-21 European Championships. Ceballos failed to live up to the hype with Gunners fans happy to see the back of him after a two-year loan.

24) Auston Trusty (£1.6m) (19)

Arsenal made a tidy £3.3m profit when Trusty was sold to Sheffield United last summer.

23) Cedric Soares (free) (15)

Signed on loan and then offered a contract before kicking a ball, Cedric failed to endear himself to the club’s fans with numerous mediocre performances. His ranking here is respectable, however, after performing well in Takehiro Tomiyasu’s frequent absence in 21/22.

22) Fabio Vieira (£30.4m) (18)

The Portuguese playmaker signed for the Gunners out of the blue and has struggled for game time. There is potential there and Vieira had a few important cameos off the bench in the first half of last season.

21) Matteo Guendouzi (£7.2m) (11)

This signing had the potential to rank high in a list of Arsene Wenger signings, let alone post-Wenger signings. But Arteta didn’t want anything to do with Guendouzi. £7.2m was a bargain and Marseille also got a bargain when they spent £9.9m to make his loan permanent at the end of 21/22.

Guendouzi would likely be in the top 15 on this list if he was still at the club, but letting him leave for f**k all when he would be a great squad player for Arsenal if he hadn’t grabbed Neal Maupay by the throat is a tough pill to swallow.

20) Jakub Kiwior (£22.3m) (21)

Kiwior could not get game time over Rob Holding after William Saliba picked up an injury last March, which made fans think he might be rubbish. He isn’t, though. If he started instead of Holding against Liverpool, West Ham, Southampton and Manchester City, would Arsenal have won the Premier League in 22/23?

There is a strong chance Kiwior leaves this summer with Arsenal keen on signing Bologna’s Riccardo Calafiori.

19) Bernd Leno (£22.5m) (13)

Leno became the club’s No. 1 goalkeeper with Petr Cech retiring at the end of 18/19. Signed with a solid reputation of being good on the ball, the German shot-stopper was suspect at times when asked to play out. He has probably never been a top-five keeper in the Premier League but has done well at Fulham, like Willian, after joining for pennies two summers ago.

18) David Luiz (£7.8m) (12)

Luiz divided opinion during his Arsenal career. From red cards against Manchester City and Wolves to masterclasses in the 2020 FA Cup semi-final and final to help his side win the trophy, nobody went from a world beater to completely shocking overnight quite like the Brazilian.

17) Thomas Partey (£45m) (8)

Partey has been great for Arsenal when fit, which is not often enough.

16) Takehiro Tomiyasu (£16.7m) (6)

“Tomiyasu was offered to most clubs in the Premier League. He’s a good player but the problem is he’s not really a right-back, nor is he a central defender. I’m not sure how he will get on at Arsenal.”

Egg on your face, Kaveh Solhekol. Tomiyasu is solid, versatile and very two-footed. His injury proneness is a slight worry, but he has been one hell of a signing.

Tomiyasu being 16th is harsh on him, but it shows how good Arsenal’s business has been over the last two years.

15) Kieran Tierney (£24.3m) (2)

The Scottish left-back’s injury record lets him down. Tierney missed 23 games in his debut season, 11 in 20/21 and 13 in 21/22.

After being unable to land a move to another Premier League club, Tierney joined Real Sociedad on loan last summer. He is back in north London and expected to leave. He was second when we made this list! What has Arteta done to this club?

14) Jurrien Timber (£34.6m) (12)

Versatile, proven in Europe and internationally, Timber did not cost an extraordinary fee and vastly improves Arsenal’s defensive depth. An ACL injury on his competitive debut was a huge blow but he is back and ready for the upcoming campaign.

13) Oleksandr Zinchenko (£30.4m) (9)

Zinchenko brought his leadership skills from Manchester City to Arsenal to help them become title contenders in 22/23. The Gunners have quickly outgrown him, though. Timber should be Arteta’s first-choice left-back next season.

12) Jorginho (£10m) (17)

Arsenal signed Jorginho instead of Moises Caicedo last January, which made him public enemy number one when he initially joined. The Italian quickly won over fans and has proven himself to be a vital player, both on and off the pitch.

11) Aaron Ramsdale (£25m) (5)

Ramsdale added a new dimension to the Arsenal team when signed from Sheffield United. He was fantastic before being dislodged by David Raya at the start of last season.

Despite being likely to leave this summer, Ramsdale has been a great signing for a respectable price. He was written off by a lot of the club’s ‘fans’ before officially joining but has shut his critics up.

Wherever he ends up, Arsenal fans will be wishing him well. Unless it’s somehow Tottenham.

10) Gabriel Jesus (£45.5m) (3)

One of two players to come into the Arsenal team last summer and transform them into title contenders, Jesus, like Zinchenko, brought City’s winning mentality to the Emirates and made them a serious team once again.

Jesus’ overall play is fantastic but his lack of conviction is worrying. This is a big year for him.

9) Kai Havertz (£64.8m) (24)

‘Quite what Mikel Arteta has seen from Kai Havertz at Chelsea to justify spending that kind of money on him is beyond nearly everyone. On the flip side, Arteta has built the trust of the Arsenal fan base and has earned the right to take a chance or two in the transfer market. He has taken a big one on Havertz, whose every touch in red and white is going to be analysed and critiqued. The pressure is on both the player and manager here.’

This is what we said last September and with Havertz struggling in the Arsenal midfield in his opening months at the club, everyone appeared to be spot on in doubting this signing. When Arteta moved the German up front – a position he looked lost for Chelsea – it all changed. His form up there was ridiculous.

Incredibly, Havertz might be under more pressure next season with Arteta appearing to be relaxed over the striker position despite the transfer window being open. If the Spaniard does not buy a striker, Havertz will need to be flying all season long.

8) David Raya (£27m + £3m loan fee) (19)

Turns out Arteta knows what he’s doing. Arsenal fans are not going to doubt their manager again after proving to be right in the Raya/Ramsdale debacle. Oh, and with Kai Havertz.

A lot of it was down to the defence in front of him, but Raya’s Golden Glove was vindication.

7) Benjamin White (£52m) (7)

The transfer fee raised many eyebrows, with many laughing at Arsenal for paying more for White than Manchester United did for Raphael Varane. Who’s laughing now, huh? Just imagine how good he would be if he was ‘sufficiently interested in football’.

6) Leandro Trossard (£21.4m) (13)

Arsenal saw an opportunity with Trossard after missing out on Mykhaylo Mudryk and capitalised to bring him in for a very respectable fee in January 2023.

We all knew Trossard was a good player but did not expect him to contribute as much as he has for Arsenal. He has that clutch gene in him, for sure, scoring huge goals against Porto, Bayern Munich, Everton, Chelsea, Burnley, Liverpool, Wolves and Manchester United. Clutch indeed.

5) Gabriel Magalhaes (£23.4m) (3)

Signed for more than his left foot, Gabriel is an excellent player and formed a terrific partnership with Benjamin White in 21/22 before doing so once with William Saliba over the last two seasons. A little over £23m is a right bargain, too.

Is there a better centre-back partnership in club football than Gabriel and Saliba? We’re waiting…

4) Declan Rice (£101m) (4)

The fact Rice is only fourth shows just how impressive Arsenal’s recruitment has been since 2018.

His debut season at the Emirates was everything Arsenal fans dreamed of and more. The consistency was off the charts and his ability both on and off the ball exceeded expectations. There are not many footballers who can justify costing over £100m but Rice has done so in one year. It is now up to him to continue his form and get even better.

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3) Gabriel Martinelli (£6.4m) (1)

The signing of Martinelli for £6.4m was a masterstroke from the club’s scouts. We have begrudgingly moved him from top spot. He sits third behind an Emery signing and an Arteta buy, who is top.

Before moving to north London, Martinelli had a trial with Manchester United, who opted not to sign him because they don’t tend to make good decisions in that department.

With his injury problems behind him after some terrific management from Arteta, the Brazilian winger will continue to progress with his transfer value around twenty times what the Gunners paid to sign him from Ituano.

2) William Saliba (£27m) (9)

In 2022, Saliba finally returned to Arsenal to become a first-team regular last summer after three loan spells. He was magnificent in 22/23 and his absence in the title run-in was devastatingly obvious. The 23-year-old was fit all of last season and Arsenal were even better than they were the year before. Their title challenge, with Saliba able to play every single minute, lasted until the last kick of the ball.

Saliba is comfortably a top-five central defender in the Premier League – if not world football – at the age of 23. He is a serious talent and can become the best centre-back in world football. For £27m as well, which is very respectable.

1) Martin Odegaard (£31.5m + £1.8m loan fee) (4)

In the modern market, £33m for Martin Odegaard is a stroke of genius. He is the very best of a stellar bunch. Moving Martinelli from his long-standing place in first was difficult. The Brazilian was a bargain and has blossomed into a wonderful player thanks to Arteta’s coaching. And the player’s hard work, of course.

Back to Odegaard. The Norway and Arsenal captain is the heartbeat of Arteta’s team and leads by example on and off the pitch. The term world-class is extremely subjective so we won’t go there. But…you know what I am thinking. The sky is the limit for this young man. What a gem Arsenal have on their hands. And he is only going to get better.

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