Mikel Arteta has been in charge of Arsenal since December 2019 and has made 25 first-team signings in that period. At a time when the Gunners’ form has dipped and their transfer activity has come under scrutiny, we grade every move made during the Spaniard’s tenure.
A+
Gabriel, Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, Ben White
Arsenal have spent a massive £680m since Arteta took charge, the third most in the league. These four players represent a large chunk of that outlay, but nobody can argue they have been anything other than value for money.
Embed from Getty ImagesDeclan Rice was signed for a club record £100m from West Ham last summer and has been one of the north London club’s standout players this season. The midfielder was meant to be the missing piece of the jigsaw to take the club to the title having fallen short last term, and whilst other players have underperformed, his performances suggest the outcome may have been different last campaign had he been in Arsenal’s team.
Martin Odegaard initially joined the club on loan in January 2021 before making the switch from Real Madrid permanently for £30m that summer. The Norwegian has shone, being appointed captain at the beginning of last season and scoring 15 goals during that campaign as the Gunners finished second. Still only 25 years old, the attacking midfielder looks a bargain.
Embed from Getty ImagesGabriel and Ben White have become pivotal members of Arsenal’s backline since their arrival. White’s £50m signing from Brighton in July 2021 was met with much scepticism, but the Englishman has delivered, making the right-back spot his own having initially been bought to play in the centre of defence.
Brazilian Gabriel joined Arteta’s men from Lille for just £27m, a bargain given how strong the partnership he’s formed with fellow centre-back William Saliba has become.
A
Takehiro Tomiyasu, Leandro Trossard
Leandro Trossard can be considered among Arsenal’s best-ever bargain buys. The winger was signed from Brighton for just an initial £20m and provided the Gunners with a Premier League-proven attacker to add to their ranks. The Belgian only moved to the club a year ago, but he already feels like a key member of their squad.
Embed from Getty ImagesJapanese defender Takehiro Tomiyasu’s move to Arsenal was ridiculed at the time, with Sky Sports News presenters famously laughing live on air when the transfer was confirmed. However, the full-back has been a pivotal figure despite several spells out with injury, with his versatility a particularly strong asset. He cost just £16m from Bologna and can’t be considered anything other than a success.
B
Jorginho, Aaron Ramsdale, Jurrien Timber
Aaron Ramsdale’s signing would be graded an A based on his on-pitch performances alone. Signed for £24m from Sheffield United, the goalkeeper quickly displaced Bernd Leno in the starting XI and followed up a strong debut season by making the PFA team of the year last term. Mikel Arteta doesn’t value him as highly as his peers do, with the manager replacing him with David Raya this campaign, and with the Englishman currently warming the bench, the transfer can only be given a B.
Embed from Getty ImagesJorginho was signed from Chelsea for just £12m, and the experienced midfielder has been a valuable squad member during his first year in north London, often coming on from the bench to help see out games late on, but also proving his worth as a starter when needed.
Versatile defender Jurrien Timber suffered an ACL injury on his Premier League debut for the club, and has yet to prove his £34m move from Ajax to be a success, but showed enough in pre-season and in the Community Shield victory over Manchester City to suggest he has all the tools to be a key man for the Gunners.
C
Jakub Kiwior, Gabriel Jesus, Thomas Partey, Mathew Ryan, Oleksandr Zinchenko
Embed from Getty ImagesBoth Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko were signed from Manchester City in the summer of 2022, and both were considered excellent signings at the time. However, whilst they both enjoyed strong starts to their Arsenal careers, both have struggled of late.
Left-back Zinchenko’s form dropped off a cliff towards the end of last season, and this campaign he has been at fault for several goals conceded and he’s been a defensive liability. Jesus has struggled for goals, with the striker managing just three in 15 and leaving the majority of Arsenal fans crying out for a new striker to be signed.
Neither signing can be considered a failure, but it is hard to give them any higher than a C grade especially since they cost £77m combined.
Thomas Partey’s £45m move from Atletico Madrid in October 2020 was seen as a huge signing, with expectation that the Ghanaian would be the strong defensive midfielder Arsenal had been crying out for.
Unfortunately, the move hasn’t worked out as hoped, with the 30-year-old having off-the-pitch issues, struggling to stay fit and not performing on the pitch outside of the first half of last season. He is likely to depart the club at the end of the season.
Embed from Getty ImagesPolish centre-back Jakob Kiwior cost Arsenal £20m from Italian side Spezia and has provided decent cover for Saliba and Gabriel, whilst also filling in at left-back. He has been linked with a return to Italy but is a useful member of the Gunners’ squad.
Mathew Ryan spent the second half of the 2020-21 season on loan at Arsenal from Brighton, with the goalkeeper making three appearances and providing solid backup to then-starter Bernd Leno.
D
Kai Havertz, Albert Samba Lokonga, Pablo Mari, Marquinhos, David Raya, Cedric Soares, Matt Turner
Kai Havertz was one of Arsenal’s big summer signings, arriving from Chelsea for a whopping £65m. So far, he has flattered to deceive. The German was signed by Mikel Arteta to play in midfield, but looked severely out of place, and was eventually dropped. In late November, or early December time he began to show some promise and scored his first goal for the club away at Brentford, but such promise was short-lived. He started as a striker in the recent FA Cup defeat to Liverpool and never once looked like scoring; he needs to improve fast or will be labelled a flop.
Embed from Getty ImagesDavid Raya was signed on loan from Brentford last summer, and described by manager Mikel Arteta as competition for Aaron Ramsdale in goal. However, it quickly became apparent that he had actually been signed to replace him, and it wasn’t long before he was starting Premier League games.
He has been anything but convincing, making numerous mistakes leading to calls for Ramsdale to be given his place back. His move will become permanent next summer, costing the Gunners £30m in total, which feels like a very unnecessary use of funds.
Embed from Getty ImagesBelgian midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga was signed from Anderlecht in 2021, and looked very impressive in his first few months at the club, especially given how young he was. However, he failed to lock down a starting spot in the side and struggled whenever he was given an opportunity in his second season. Spent the second half of last season at Crystal Palace and is spending this season on loan at Luton.
Spanish centre-back Pablo Mari and Portuguese right-back Cedric Soares both joined Arsenal in January 2020, both initially on loan deals before being signed permanently. Mari made just 19 appearances before moving to Udinese on loan and subsequently leaving permanently for Monza, and never managed to live up to the promise of some impressive performances in his first few outings.
Cedric is still at the club, but has barely featured this season and spent the second half of last season on loan at Fulham; he was decent enough in his first few seasons but Arsenal have moved past his level now, and the long contract he was given means the club have been unable to move him on.
Embed from Getty ImagesAmerican goalkeeper Matt Turner played a handful of cup and Europa League games in his sole season before being shipped off to Nottingham Forest, failing to impress. Marquinhos scored on his debut in the Europa League, but the young Brazilian winger has been on loan at Nantes this term, having spent the second half of last season at Norwich, and is unlikely to have much of a future with the London club.
E
Runar Alex Runarsson, Nuno Tavares, Fabio Vieira
Fabio Vieira’s grade may seem harsh, but when the £35m fee Arsenal paid Porto for him is compared to his contribution on the pitch, it becomes more understandable. Vieira has just two goals and five assists from 30 league games and is currently out injured having been sent off on his last outing. At 23 he still has time to show his worth, but will struggle to get near the starting XI when he returns.
Embed from Getty ImagesNuno Tavares is currently on loan at Nottingham Forest, where he has barely kicked a ball, which probably sums up how things have gone for the left-back since moving to England. He only cost Arsenal £6m, but never looked convincing, and was loaned out to Marseille after just one season. A player who is unlikely to have a future at the club beyond the summer.
Icelandic goalkeeper Runar Alex Runarsson was signed for just £1m from French club Dijon and barely played for the club before being shipped out on loan. His brief time on the pitch was less than convincing, including a horror show against Manchester City in the League Cup where he made several errors; he’s currently on loan at Cardiff and unlikely to play for the Gunners again.
F
Willian
Embed from Getty ImagesBrazilian winger Willian endured a horror 12 months following his free transfer from Chelsea in the summer of 2020, managing just one goal before returning to his homeland.
Credit must be given to him for how he has rejuvenated his career since returning to London and the Premier League with Fulham, but his time at Arsenal was nothing short of a disaster.
Image Credit: Ronnie Macdonald, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
