Top 10 Arsenal signings in Premier League era ranked – two current players included; legends in top 3
Arsenal have made some incredibly astute and utterly iconic signings over the years, and here we have ranked their 10 greatest of the Premier League era.
The Gunners have made some incredibly shrewd signings over the years, with Arsene Wenger making the best of a difficult financial situation for years as the club paid off the cost of building the Emirates Stadium.
But having now re-established themselves as a powerful force once again, the north London giants have also benefited from some expert additions in recent times – but where do they all rank.
Without further ado, here is our top 10, starting with a current favourite…
10) William Saliba
There are quite a few honourable mentions, including Saliba’s centre-back partner Gabriel Magalhaes, Nicolas Anelka, Alexis Sanchez and Jens Lehmann.
Saliba – signed for a bargain £27m from St Etienne in 2019 – is simply a Rolls-Royce of a defender, and the fact he has barely put a foot wrong since making his Arsenal debut in 2022 gives him the edge over those aforementioned names.
It feels inevitable that Saliba will join Real Madrid, but he might not want to if he and Arsenal continue on their current trajectory…
9) Freddie Ljungberg
Calvin Klein model Ljungberg was signed as a relatively unknown talent after Arsenal had watched him at Halmstad in Sweden for a long time.
Arsene Wenger was convinced to sign Ljungberg without watching him in person and, as they say, the rest is history.
Ljungberg cost Arsenal around £3m in 1998, and the Swedish winger went on to score 72 goals in 328 games for the Londoners, winning five major honours in that time.
8) Declan Rice
Rice’s £100m move to Arsenal has been seismic as the Gunners have become the best team in England and the second-best in Europe, only losing the 2026 Champions League final on penalties.
It was Rice’s arrival in the 2023 summer transfer window that really cemented Arsenal as serious title challengers after the near miss of 2022/23, which probably came a year too soon for an inexperienced side. If Rice had been there that year, they might’ve held on to beat Manchester City to first place, denying them a historic Treble in the process.
Rice may not be Arsenal’s captain, but he is the best leader in Mikel Arteta’s dressing room and one of the very few players to actually justify their £100m+ price tag, if not the only one…
7) Robin van Persie
Signed as a youngster and long-term replacement for Dennis Bergkamp – more on him in a bit – Van Persie was allowed to develop in the shadows of his compatriot and Thierry Henry – more on him in a bit – before becoming Arsenal’s main man.
Following Henry’s departure in 2007, Van Persie scored 111 goals in his next 199 games for Arsenal, winning the PFA Players’ Player of the Year, FWA Footballer of the Year and Premier League Golden Boot in 2011/12, in one of the greatest individual seasons in Premier League history.
Unfortunately, that was Van Persie’s final year at Arsenal as he left in acrimonious circumstances, joining rivals Manchester United and helping them win the league in his first year at Old Trafford.
6) Cesc Fabregas
Whether or not to count Fabregas was up for debate, but the fact he was signed at 16 makes no difference because he started playing for Arsenal at 16.
Arguably the greatest piece of scouting in Arsenal’s history, Fabregas joined from Barcelona in 2003 and became a key player as a teenager and club captain by 21.
He was an incredible leader, setting the standard as the Gunners’ best player, but the manner of his departure to Barcelona and his later move to London rivals Chelsea leave a sour taste in the mouths of many supporters. What he did was nothing in comparison to Van Persie, though…
5) Robert Pires
Another Wenger signing, Pires cost Arsenal £6m in 2000, replacing Marc Overmars, who was off to Barcelona for £25m.
After a difficult start, Pires adapted to the physicality of English football and became an unplayable wide player, known for cutting in from the left flank to strike with his right foot.
Pires became a crucial part of Wenger’s great Arsenal side, producing goals and assists from the left and scoring 14 league goals during the Invincibles campaign. He remains one of the most adored players in the club’s history.
4) Sol Campbell
The manner of Campbell’s Arsenal transfer means he couldn’t be outside the top five.
Campbell was Tottenham captain and had publicly said he would stay at the club, but when his contract expired and Arsenal came calling, he made the incredibly controversial switch to the red half of north London.
Labelled “Judas” by Spurs fans, Campbell will not care one bit, as he went on to win five major honours with Arsenal and scored in the 2006 Champions League final. We won’t mention how that game ended.
3) Dennis Bergkamp
A former Arsenal player told me that Bergkamp was better than Thierry Henry, and it’s easy to see why so many people hold that opinion.
In terms of technical ability, there are not many better players to have played the beautiful game, yet Bergkamp was a unit of a man. He was massive but had the touch of an angel. A truly special footballer. There’s a good reason he is cast in bronze outside the Emirates Stadium.
There were initially doubts about Bergkamp’s ability to adapt to English football, having become Bruce Rioch’s first signing and a club-record addition at £7.5m. Safe to say, his doubters were left with egg on their faces.
2) Patrick Vieira
The captain of the Invincibles team, Vieira was the perfect leader for Arsenal, but that season came almost a decade after his arrival from AC Milan.
Vieira joined Arsenal after being told Arsene Wenger would be coming in as the club’s new manager, and it was Wenger who brought the absolute best out of Vieira and helped him become a world-class midfielder and leader. One of the very best the Premier League has ever seen, let alone Arsenal.
1) Thierry Henry
This was never in doubt.
The greatest player in Premier League history is obviously Arsenal’s greatest signing of the Premier League era.
Henry was Arsenal’s star man in their 2003/04 Invincibles season, one year after registering 24 goals and 20 assists as the Gunners finished second behind Manchester United.
The King scored 175 Premier League goals for Arsenal – many of them truly spectacular – and also helped them reach the Champions League final in 2006.
He even loved the club so much that he returned for a second spell, scoring, of course, on his second debut.
