Arsenal's best ever signings
Ranking Arsenal's finest transfer acquisitions throughout their history
Some truly great players have pulled on the famous red and white of Arsenal over the years.
Plenty of them have risen through the Gunners' youth ranks – but plenty more have been brought in from other clubs, going on to make quite an impact for the North London giants.
Here, FourFourTwo runs through Arsenal's 33 finest signings of all time.
33. Mikel Arteta
Signed from Everton for £10m in the closing moments of the summer 2011 transfer window, Mikel Arteta spent the last seven years of his playing career at Arsenal.
A two-time, back-to-back FA Cup winner under Arsene Wenger in 2013/14 and 2014/15, the classy holding midfielder would later begin his managerial career with the Gunners – coming close to guiding them to the 2022/23 Premier League title.
32. Aaron Ramsey
A mainstay of Arsenal's midfield for the best part of a decade, Aaron Ramsey racked up 369 appearances for the Gunners – who he joined from Cardiff City for £4.8m in the summer of 2008, aged only 17.
The Welsh international's contributions to Arsenal included 69 goals – among them so truly crucial strikes, perhaps none more so than the winners in the 2014 and 2017 FA Cup finals.
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31. George Graham
Another Arsenal legend who went on to become a successful manager of the club, George Graham won the title with the Gunners as a player and coach.
Signed from Chelsea in 1966, the Scot was a key member of Bertie Mee's 1970/71 double-winning side – and he featured 308 times for the North London giants, scoring 79 goals, before joining Tommy Docherty's Manchester United in 1972.
30. Malcom Macdonald
Prolific throughout a five-year spell at Newcastle – where he notched 138 goals in 257 games – Malcolm Macdonald joined Arsenal for the ridiculously specific fee of £333,333.34 in 1976.
And it's fair to say the Gunners got value for money: Macdonald top-scored for Terry Neill's team in each of his first two seasons – leading the First Division scoring charts with 25 goals in 1976/77.
29. Jens Lehmann
Signed as a free agent in the summer of 2003 to replace legendary goalkeeper David Seaman, Jens Lehmann could not have dreamed of a better first season between the sticks for Arsenal.
An ever-present in the 2003/04 Premier League campaign, the German international – who was the Gunners' number one for four years – ensured legendary status among supporters as the last line of defence in Arsene Wenger's Invincibles.
In 2011, 41-year-old Lehmann came out of retirement for a one-game second spell at the club.
28. Lauren
Brought in from Real Mallorca in 2000 as a midfielder, Lauren went on to star as right-back of the Invincibles – making 242 appearances for Arsenal during a six-year stay.
The tireless, robust Cameroon international had already done the 2001/02 double with the Gunners – and he later returned to the club to work as an ambassador.
27. Sylvain Wiltord
Weeks after scoring a stoppage-time equaliser to set France on their way to victory in the final of Euro 2000, Sylvain Wiltord joined Arsenal from Bordeaux for a club-record £13m.
And the winger – who partnered compatriot Thierry Henry up front on occasion – went on to enjoy immense success with Arene Wenger's Gunners, starring in the 2001/02 double win – scoring the goal that sealed the Premier League title against Manchester United at Old Trafford – and 2003/04 Invincibles campaign.
26. Nigel Winterburn
An English champion with Arsenal both before and during the Premier League era, legendary Gunners left-back Nigel Winterburn arrived from Wimbledon in May 1987.
He would spend the next 13 years at Highbury – playing under George Graham and Arsene Wenger, and alongside the likes of Tony Adams, Martin Keown and Lee Dixon in some tight Arsenal backlines.
25. Cesc Fabregas
Signed from Barcelona as a 16-year-old in September 2003, Cesc Fabregas became Arsenal's youngest ever first-team player when he made his debut against Rotherham United in the League Cup a month later.
That was the beginning of an eight-year love affair with the Gunners for one of the finest playmakers of the modern era – who made 303 appearances for Arsenal, captaining them for three years.
24. Alex James
A key creative presence for Arsenal during the 1930s, Scottish inside forward Alex James was described as "pure magic" by England great Tom Finney – very high praise indeed.
Signed from Preston North End by Herbert Chapman in 1929, James starred in the Gunners' first four First Division title wins – three of which came in succession – and also helped them to two FA Cups.
23. Nwankwo Kanu
One of the best African footballers in history, Nwankwo Kanu made 198 appearances for Arsenal between 1999 and 2004 – going out on a high as an Invincible, having also helped Arsene Wenger's side to Premier League glory two years earlier.
Something of a super-sub who became popular with fans for his saluting 'Gunners' celebration, the Nigerian icon was voted the club's 13th greatest player of all time in 2008.
22. Steve Bould
Part of a legendary defensive line-up with Lee Dixon, Tony Adams and Nigel Winterburn, Steve Bould was a colossus at the back for Arsenal – who signed him from his hometown club Stoke City in 1988.
The towering centre-half won the First Division title in his first and third campaigns with the Gunners – before helping them to their first Premier League title, under the man to whom he would later serve as assistant manager: Arsene Wenger.
21. Charlie Nicholas
Charlie Nicholas joined Arsenal in 1983 off the back of a 48-goal season for Celtic – and while he was never as prolific in a Gunners shirt, he goes down as an all-time club great.
Arsenal's 1983/84 Player of the Season, Champagne Charlie – so nicknamed as his lifestyle drew much tabloid attention – scored 54 goals for the Gunners, including both as they came from behind to beat Liverpool in the 1987 League Cup final.
20. Ted Drake
One of Arsenal's leading goalscorers, Ted Drake found the net 139 times in 184 outings for the Gunners – reaching the 100-mark in just his 108th game.
A £6,500 acquisition from Southampton in March 1934, Drake – who also played professional cricket for Hampshire – spent the rest of his career with Arsenal, winning two First Division titles – and one has to wonder just how many goals he'd have racked up had the Second World War not got in the way.
19. Kolo Toure
Another Invincibles icon, Kolo Toure was used in numerous roles early on during his time at Arsenal – who he joined from Ivorian outfit ASEC Mimosas in February 2002 – before becoming one of the top Premier League centre-backs of the 00s.
Gunners skipper on occasion – including for the 2007 League Cup final – Toure made a total of 326 appearances for Arsene Wenger's team, missing just one league match during the historic 2003/04 unbeaten campaign.
18. Marc Overmars
After an indifferent start following his big move from Ajax, Marc Overmars proved to be one of Arsenal's main men as they claimed their first Premier League title in 1997/98 – and completed the double by also lifting the FA Cup.
The tricky Dutch winger bagged a brace as Arsene Wenger's Gunners beat Everton to confirm themselves as champions of England – and he notched 40 goals in 142 games for the club in all.
17. Frank McLintock
Captain during Arsenal's 1970/71 double-winning team coached by Bertie Mee, legendary Scottish centre-back Frank McLintock was a rock at the heart of the Gunners' defence.
Signed from Leicester October 1964 for a club-record £80,000, McLintock won Arsenal's Player of the Season award for 1967/68 – and the prestigious FWA Footballer of the Year Prize in 1971.
16. Emmanuel Petit
Signed from Monaco in the summer of 1997, Emmanuel Petit was reunited with Arsene Wenger at Arsenal – and he made an instant impact on the Gunners.
Deployed as a defensive midfielder alongside fellow Frenchman Patrick Vieira, Petit was instrumental in Arsenal's double success of 1997/98 – a campaign he capped by scoring in France's World Cup final victory over Brazil – while he made the PFA Premier League Team of the Year the following season.
15. Gilberto Silva
One of the top defensive midfielders of the Premier League era, Gilberto Silva made 244 appearances for Arsenal over the course of a seven-year spell in North London.
Signed from Atletico Mineiro having played a key role in Brazil's 2002 World Cup triumph, Gilberto was a mainstay of the Gunners Invincibles side – and he scored the first competitve goal at the Emirates Stadium, one of a career-best 11 he managed in all competitions during the 2006/07 campaign.
14. Lee Dixon
A highly reliable presence at right-back, Lee Dixon spent the last 14 years of his career at Arsenal – featuring 619 times in all, among the most of any player in the club's history.
The England international joined from Stoke City in 1988 and went on to win four league titles with the Gunners – two in the old First Division, two in the Premier League – as well as three FA Cups and the 1993/94 Cup Winners' Cup.
13. Kenny Sansom
One of England's most-capped full-backs of all time, Kenny Sansom was a hugely popular player for Arsenal – who he captained to 1986/87 League Cup glory.
Signed from Crystal Palace in 1980 – in a deal which saw a young Clive Allen, who had joined the Gunners only weeks earlier, move the other way – the incredibly consistent Sansom was named Arsenal's 1980/81 Player of the Season and made no fewer than seven PFA First Division Teams of the Year during his time in North London.
12. Bob Wilson
Initially stopped from becoming a professional footballer by his sceptical father, Bob Wilson was still an amateur for the first eight months of his Arsenal career.
But the iconic goalkeeper's performances for the Gunners – who he joined from Wolves in 1963, a time before goalkeeping mod-cons like gloves – would be anything but amateur: Wilson played every game of the 1970/71 double-winning campaign, having already helped Arsenal to victory in the previous season's Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.
11. Alan Smith
Widely considered by supporters to be one of Arsenal's best ever players, Alan Smith completed an £850,000 switch to Highbury from Leicester in March 1987.
And over the next eight years, until his retirement, the striker amassed 115 goals for the Gunners – 23 of which helped fire George Graham's team to the 1988/89 First Division title, also earning him the first of two Golden Boots.
10. Freddie Ljungberg
All-time Swedish great Freddie Ljungberg joined Arsenal from Halmstad for £3m in 1998 – with Arsene Wenger approving the signing after watching the winger help Sweden to victory over England on TV.
It proved to be a very shrewd move indeed: over the next nine seasons, Ljungberg played an important part in two Premier League title wins – winning the competition's 2001/02 Player of the Season award – and three FA Cups triumphs for the Gunners – who he briefly coached as interim manager in December 2019.
9. Pat Jennings
Tottenham sold Pat Jennings to arch-rivals Arsenal in 1977 thinking that his career was coming to an end; what a monumental mistake that proved to be.
The legendary Northern Irish goalkeeper – one of the greatest ever to play in the position – kept going for the best part of another decade, making 327 appearances for the Gunners – taking his career total past 1,000 games – and winning the 1978/79 FA Cup (and, in a rare feat, earning legendary status at both North London clubs).
8. Sol Campbell
Unlike Pat Jennings before him, Sol Campbell did not remain popular with Tottenham fans after crossing the North London divide to Arsenal – which he did as a free agent in the summer of 2001.
The England centre-back had previously stated that he would never play for the Gunners – but he became an all-time great there and can't have regretted his move, winning two Premier League titles, three FA Cups and reaching the final of the 2005/06 Champions League.
Campbell later returned for a second spell at Arsenal in 2010, taking his total appearances for the club to 221.
7. Robert Pires
A fine, fine player indeed, the impossibly cool Robert Pires is undoubtedly one of Arsenal's greatest of all time – starring under French compatriot Arsene Wenger from 2000 to 2006.
In each of the 2002/03, 2003/04 and 2004/05 campaigns – the latter being that of the Invincibles, of course – Pires scored 14 goals, having won FWA Footballer of the Year and Arsenal Player of the Season for 2001/02.
The winger is also remembered for his bizarre penalty 'pass' to Thierry Henry against Manchester City in 2005.
6. Cliff Bastin
One of Arsenal's all-time leading goalscorers to this day, the prolific Cliff Bastin's 178-goal haul for the Gunners becomes all the more remarkable when you realise he wasn't a centre-forward but a winger.
Signed as a 17-year-old from Exeter City in 1929, Bastin won five First Division titles with the Gunners – two under Herbert Chapman, one under Joe Shaw and two under George Allison – in addition to two FA Cups.
5. David Seaman
David Seaman's £1.3m switch from QPR to Arsenal in 1990 broke the British transfer record for a goalkeeper – and the famously ponytailed and moustachioed shot-stopper proved to be worth every penny.
Having replaced fan favourite John Lukic between the sticks, Seaman helped George Graham's Gunners to the First Division title in his debut season at Highbury – before winning the double under Arsene Wenger in 1997/98 and 2001/02.
Seaman – who kept the most clean sheets in the Premier League in 1993/94 and 1998/99 – made 564 appearances for the Gunners in all.
4. Dennis Bergkamp
An absolute magician with the ball at his feet, Dennis Bergkamp scored some of the Premier League's greatest ever goals during his 11 years at Arsenal – who he joined from Inter Milan in 1995, becoming Bruce Rioch's first signing and breaking the club transfer record.
The highlights included an astonishing hat-trick against Leicester in 1997 – which opposing manager Martin O'Neill called "the best hat-trick I've ever seen" – and that jaw-dropping effort against Newcastle in 2002 – which was voted the best Premier League goal of all time in 2017.
3. Ian Wright
The ultimate late bloomer, Ian Wright was still playing non-League football for Greenwich Borough just before his 22nd birthday; within a decade, he would be an Arsenal legend.
After scoring 118 goals in seven years at Crystal Palace, Wright joined George Graham's Gunners for a club-record £2.5m in September 1991.
He went on to score 185 goals for Arsenal – scooping the 1991/92 First Division Golden Boot – winning the League Cup and Cup Winners' Cup under Graham, then doing the double in 1997/98 under Arsene Wenger.
2. Patrick Vieira
Legendary skipper of the 2003/04 Invincibles – who went 49 Premier League games unbeaten in all – Patrick Vieira probably goes down as the best midfielder in Arsenal's history.
A £3.5m arrival from AC Milan in 1996, Vieira bossed many a midfield battle during his nine-year stay with the Gunners – where he won three Premier League titles and four FA Cups.
The 1998 French World Cup winner featured 406 times for Arsenal, scoring 34 goals.
1. Thierry Henry
Named Arsenal's greatest ever player in 2017, there's no doubt that Thierry Henry was one of the very best players on the planet for much of the 00s – when he tore up the Premier League as the attacking focal point of Arsene Wenger's Gunners.
A four-time Premier League Golden Boot winner – picking up the prize three times in a row between 2003/04 and 2005/06 – Henry became Arsenal's record scorer with 228 goals in 377 appearances.
The two-time PFA Players' Player of the Year left the Gunners for Barcelona in 2006 – but delighted fans by returning for a brief loan spell from New York Red Bulls in 2012.
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Tom Hancock started freelancing for FourFourTwo in April 2019 and has also written for the Premier League and Opta Analyst, among others. He supports Wycombe Wanderers and has a soft spot for Wealdstone. A self-confessed statto, he has been known to watch football with a spreadsheet (or several) open...
