We take a look at the ten costliest purchases made by Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger after the club announced the signing of Alexis Sanchez from Barcelona.
Arsene Wenger has something of a reputation for being frugal in the transfer market – but this doesn’t mean that the Arsenal boss hasn’t splashed out on his fair share of expensive deals.
Today’s confirmed deal for Alexis Sanchez, believed to have cost the Gunners around £30 million, made the Chilean the club’s second most expensive signing – but who are the other ten names that Wenger has deemed good enough to open up his cobwebbed wallet for?
11) Lukas Podolski
Germany international Lukas Podolski cost the Gunners around £11m when he arrived from Bundesliga club FC Koln in 2012.
The wide forward hasn’t been an undisputed success at the Emirates Stadium, but he has chipped in with crucial goals for the club whilst also making plenty of friends in North London with his determination and work rate.
10) Alexander Hleb
Arsenal signed Alexander Hleb from Bundesliga club Vfb Stuttgart in 2005 for approximately £12m, but the Belarussian went on to become little more than a nearly man at the Emirates Stadium.
His dazzling skills and carefree manner on the pitch rarely translated into end product and he was largely frustrating for the Gunners, but they did get their money back when selling him to Barcelona.
9) Olivier Giroud
Striker Olivier Giroud signed for the Gunners from Montpellier for a fee of around £12m in 2012 and has done enough in a red shirt to justify the outlay to the Ligue 1 club.
A target man with a fine touch and the ability to bring players into play, Giroud has occasionally been criticised for a lack of pace and incisiveness, but is a useful player to have in any squad.
8) Samir Nasri
Arsenal signed Samir Nasri for a fee of around £12m in 2008 and the Frenchman enjoyed a fine couple of years at the Emirates Stadium, impressing with his creativity from midfield.
The divisive player soon got itchy feet in North London, however, and was lured to the nouveau riche Manchester City – but they were able to pocket a tidy profit on the player.
7) Sylvain Wiltord
When Arsenal signed Sylvain Wiltord for a fee of around £12.5m in 2000, it represented a huge outlay from Arsene Wenger on his fellow Frenchman.
Wiltord went on to pay him back and then some, however, becoming an integral part of the Arsenal team during possibly their finest period under Wenger.
6) Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Wenger was so keen to sign teenage prodigy Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain from Southampton in 2011 that he was willing to sanction a deal that could eventually be worth £15m.
Following in the footsteps of Theo Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain took his time to settle in North London but is now an important part of the Gunners’ squad and is well on his way to repaying his significant transfer fee.
5) Andrei Arshavin
The £15m that Arsenal spent on Russian Andrei Arshavin from Zenit St. Petersburg proved to be a disappointing investment, with the Russian eventually leaving on a free transfer.
Whilst he did produce moments of brilliance, more often than not against Liverpool at Anfield, Arshavin’s lack of work rate and movement largely meant that he was peripheral in the Premier League.
4) Santi Cazorla
Santi Cazorla was reported to have cost Arsenal a fee in the region of £16.5m when he signed from La Liga club Malaga, going on to become a useful part of the squad.
Creative and hard-working, Cazorla often lacks the physical make-up and sheer pace to be a constant threat at Premier League level, but has the vision and creativity to get by regardless.
3) Jose Antonio Reyes
The Gunners broke their club transfer record in 2004 to secure the signing of Jose Antonio Reyes from Spanish club Sevilla in a deal that was eventually worth £17.5m.
Reyes generally impressed on the pitch for the club but struggled to settle in England, eventually returning to La Liga where he enjoyed a long career with the likes of Atletico Madrid. Wenger will hope that Alexis Sanchez does a little better as his latest big-money La Liga signing.
2) Alexis Sanchez
Arsenal have today announced the signing of Alexis Sanchez, reportedly for a fee of around £30m, has made the Chilean the second most expensive signing in the club’s history.
Arriving from Barcelona, the former Udinese man should prove to be a stunning capture for Arsene Wenger, following in the footsteps of Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid last summer. He is likely to operate from the left flank, playing just outside Ozil in the club’s 4-2-3-1 system.
1) Mesut Ozil
The club’s record transfer is still that of Mesut Ozil, who the Gunners splashed out an incredible £42.4m on in the summer of 2013 after a previously barren transfer window.
Despite not hitting the highest of heights in his first season at the club, Ozil showed signs of adapting to the Premier League towards the end of the season and will be expected to contribute much more effectively in the coming years.