Arsenal are showing concrete interest in signing Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby in the summer sales, so how have their recent transfers from the Bundesliga gone on to fare?
Well, the Gunners have rarely dipped into the German top-flight to strengthen their side in the last decade. In fact, just six players have left the Bundesliga for Premier League football in north London since the summer of 2012 and none have arrived in red since 2018, either.
- Everton’s last XI before Moshiri takeover, only one survivor
- England at the World Cup: Three Lions’ group stage record ahead of Qatar
Diaby can additionally mark Mikel Arteta’s first signing from the Bundesliga since replacing Unai Emery at the Emirates Stadium helm. The Spaniard has signed 15 players since taking charge at Arsenal in December 2019, with the most coming from Premier League clubs (5).
Arsenal showing concrete interest in Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby
Arteta is eager to continue improving the ranks he has helped to assemble in north London this year. One name on Arsenal’s radar on according to Sport Bild, via Get Football News Germany, is Diaby, with the Gunners showing firm interest in the Bayer Leverkusen star.
Newcastle, Manchester United and Roma are also alert to the winger’s best season to date at the BayArena. The 22-year-old has given Gerardo Seoane’s side 12 goals and 11 assists over 30 Bundesliga outings, split between 15 appearances on the right and 12 off the left.
Die Werkself are under no pressure to allow Diaby to leave North Rhine-Westphalia at the end of the season. The five-cap France international is under contract until 2025 and does not have a release clause. So, Bayer Leverkusen will want bids of at least €75m (£63.5m).
Seoane would use some of the fee from Diaby to replace the Paris Saint-Germain product with Luis Sinisterra of Feyenoord. Arsenal have only spent more to sign Nicolas Pepe from LOSC Lille under Emery, after striking a structured £72m package with £20m paid upfront.
Arteta, then, may be reluctant to part with a significant sum to sign Diaby, despite Arsenal showing concrete interest in signing the Bayer Leverkusen star this summer. So, how have the Gunners’ most recent raids on the Bundesliga gone on to fare whilst in north London?
Bernd Leno trod same path Moussa Diaby could take amid Arsenal interest
Bernd Leno is among the last Bundesliga stars to join Arsenal and is one of two still at the club. Emery paid Bayer Leverkusen £22m for the German in 2018 to replace Petr Cech as their first-choice goalkeeper. But the 30-year-old has now lost the role to Aaron Ramsdale.
Arteta had fielded Leno in 35 of the Gunners’ Premier League fixtures during the 2020/21 season. Yet the Spaniard sought to strike a £24m deal with Sheffield United, rising to £30m after add-ons, for Ramsdale. The England international has since shut Leno out completely.
After starting the season as the number one, Ramsdale ousted Leno from the fourth game of the top-flight campaign. His vocal presence between the sticks, command of the air and ability on the ball has seen Leno only play in one league game while Ramsdale was injured.
Ramsdale’s form has left Leno’s Arsenal future in doubt. The former Bayer Leverkusen star even told Goal in April: “You can’t rule anything out.” One option could be Newcastle, with 90min reporting the Magpies are monitoring events now the Gunners are ready to cash in.
Sokratis fall out sets unwanted precedent for Moussa Diaby amid Arsenal interest
Arsenal returned to raid the Bundesliga within weeks of Leno’s arrival in an £18m deal for Borussia Dortmund’s Sokratis Papastathopoulos. But Arteta dropped Emery’s centre-back signing much sooner than Leno, with the Greek’s last Premier League game in March 2020.
Arteta only fielded Sokratis in four Premier League matches upon replacing Emery at the helm. The Spaniard then elected to leave the centre-back out of his 25-man squad for the 2020/21 season. Arsenal eventually terminated Sokratis’ contract late in January of 2021.
He left north London after playing a total of 69 fixtures for the Gunners in all competitions. The 90-cap international also scored six goals, provided two assists and helped Arsenal win the FA Cup in 2020. Sokratis made five appearances, but did not start past the fifth-round.
Arsenal pay Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to leave before Barcelona revival
Arsene Wenger broke Arsenal’s transfer record to sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund in January 2018 for £56m. The Gabon striker went on to captain the Gunners, but lost the armband under Arteta in December 2021 after a disciplinary breach.
His final appearance for the Emirates Stadium natives would come eight days before losing the captaincy. That’s because Arsenal paid Aubameyang £7m to tear up the final year-and-a-half of his £350k-a-week contract to leave north London in January 2022, per The Times.
Aubameyang’s form had regressed during his final season-and-a-half in north London from the highs of his first two-and-a-half. The 32-year-old scored 22 goals in each of his first two full Premier League seasons with the Gunners, but only struck 10 in what would be his last.
Additionally, the 72-cap international had only scored four times in his final 14 top-flight games before leaving in January. Aubameyang has since enjoyed a revival to his career at Barcelona, hitting nine goals in 13 La Liga appearances after a free transfer from Arsenal.
Sead Kolasinac thrown out at Arsenal before Marseille plight began
Before Arsenal terminated Aubameyang’s contract, Arteta also gave the go-ahead to tear up Sead Kolasinac’s deal this January. The Bosnian had only played in two Premier League games this season and had not featured since October before joining Marseille for free.
Wenger had brought Kolasinac to north London in a free transfer in June 2017 after he left Schalke that summer. His time in the English capital returned one FA Cup winners’ medal in 2020 under Arteta. But the 28-year-old only played one minute in the final with Chelsea.
Kolasinac’s Gunners career would entail 118 appearances across all competitions, for five goals and 15 assists. He is yet to score and has just one assist for Marseille over 15 outings so far. Additionally, Kolasinac is yet to play a full 90 minute game for Les Phoceens, either.
Granit Xhaka endures fractured fan relationship with Arsenal exit possible
Arsenal signed Granit Xhaka from Borussia Monchengladbach in May 2016 after Wenger tracked his £35m addition for a long time. The Swiss would go on to captain the Gunners before Aubameyang took over the armband, following Xhaka’s outburst at his own fans.
Xhaka retaliated to jeers for his substitution against Crystal Palace in October 2019 amid a fractured relationship with Arsenal supporters. Parts of the Emirates Stadium fanbase have never taken to the midfielder, whose fully-committed style has drawn several red cards.
Yet he has remained a key player in north London, making 23 Premier League appearances so far this season. Xhaka also played in three Carabao Cup ties as the Gunners reached the semi-finals, to take his full Arsenal career tally of outings to 246 for 14 goals and 22 assists.
But the 100-cap international may soon head for the exit door. Gazzetta Dello Sport report Arsenal are ready to sell Xhaka for just €18m (£15m), with Roma interested in his transfer. Giallorossi boss Jose Mourinho sought a deal last year and remains a fan of Xhaka’s ability.
Lukas Podolski helped to end Arsenal trophy drought during north London stay
Lukas Podolski spent three years with Arsenal between joining from Koln in 2012 for £11m and a £2m move to Galatasaray. He also spent half a season with Inter Milan on loan from the Gunners during the second half of the 2014/15 campaign before finalising his farewell.
The German winger made 82 appearances while at the Emirates Stadium, while scoring 31 and assisting 17 goals. His efforts helped Wenger to lift the FA Cup in 2014, as well, ending the Gunners’ 3,283 day wait for a major title since winning the same competition in 2005.
Podolski played the first hour at Wembley against Hull City, before Yaya Sanogo took over his place on the pitch. That summer also saw Podolski help Germany to win the World Cup in Brazil, although the 130-cap international only enjoyed two appearances for 53 minutes.
Diaby, then, would join a small group of players who have joined Arsenal from Bundesliga sides in the last decade with Arteta interested in a move for the Bayer Leverkusen winger.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
