This man’s unearthed some serious gems. Here we take a look at Wenger’s best signings at Arsenal.
Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger
GK – Jens Lehmann (Borussia Dortmund, £1.5 million)
Signed in 2003 from Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund, Jens Lehmann’s maiden year in English football was one to remember. Lehmann kept 15 clean sheets during Arsenal’s invincible season, and despite falling out of favour at the start of his second year in North London, Lehmann would regain his place and provide a Man-of-the-Match performance in the 2005 FA Cup Final against Manchester United.
RB – Lauren (Mallorca, £7.2 million)
Another member of the ‘Invincibles’, the Cameroonian was signed by Arsene Wenger following a string of impressive performances at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, helping Cameroon to a Gold medal. Despite a shaky start, littered with injuries, Lauren became one of the most reliable right-backs in the Premier League. Confident in possession and extremely well organised, Lauren would win two Premier League titles and three FA Cups in his time with Arsenal.
CB – Sol Campbell (Tottenham Hotspur, Free Transfer)
Signed from arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur in 2001, Sol Campbell is probably Arsene Wenger’s best centre-back signing to date. After making the short trip across North-London, Campbell formulated a formidable partnership with Tony Adams, and later Martin Keown. It was with the latter he would provide the defensive base for Arsenal to attack freely during the 2003/4 ‘Invincibles’ season, and Arsenal have struggled to replace the duo since.
Arsenal Invincibles
CB- Laurent Koscielny (Lorient, £10 million)
After only one season of playing in Ligue 1, Wenger had seen enough in the French centre-back to bring him to the Emirates. Whilst initially struggling to adapt to the intensity of the Premier League, Koscielny would find his feet during his second year in English football, and has become a key member of both the Arsenal and France set-up.
Whilst Wenger has been criticised for his inability to sign world-class centre-backs, with much of his earlier success in England coming from an already established back line, Koscielny’s pace and ability to read the game has made him a clear exception to this rule.
LB- Ashley Cole (Signed through the Arsenal Academy)
Despite later souring his relationship with everyone associated to the club, Cole had been a great find, and managed to work his way up through the Arsenal academy before making his debut aged 18. Cole would go on to become one of the highest rated left-backs in world football, representing Arsenal 156 times, winning two Premier League titles and three FA cups.
CM- Patrick Vieira (Milan, £3.5 million)
Probably one of the greatest testaments to Viera’s ability is the wide-held belief that Arsenal have never replaced him. Viera was the driving force in one of the most successful Arsenal teams ever, providing the leadership and steel that has been lacking in recent Arsenal sides. Viera was the complete player, and his duals with Roy Keane and Manchester United are the stuff of legend.
Viera won three Premier League titles and four FA cups with Arsenal.
CM- Santi Cazorla (Malaga, £15 million)
Cazorla gets the nod ahead of Emmanuel Petit to partner Patrick Viera in central midfield. Signed from Malaga in 2012, the little Spaniard is the epitome of technique. His confidence with both feet and ability to read the game, as well as spot the pass, has seen him drop deeper in recent years, with Wenger wanting him to dictate the play at every opportunity.
It is testament to Cazorla’s ability that despite the wealth of midfield talent at Arsenal, he is still one of the first names on the team sheet. Everything good about Arsenal in the last four years has run through Cazorla and Wenger will be hoping he can remain injury free as his team look to build on last year’s second-placed finish.
RW- Frederik Ljungberg (Halmstads BK, £3 million)
If having a knack for scoring against title-rivals Manchester United wasn’t enough to endear the Swede to the Arsenal faithful, the work Ljunberg did off the ball was even more impressive.
The work-rate of Ljungberg allowed team-mate Robert Pires to linger further up-field, relieving him of his defensive duties and allowing him to provide greater assistance to Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry in the final third. Ljungberg’s willingness to track back, meant Patrick Viera and Emmanuel Petit could focus on providing Pires with the defensive security he needed to succeed.
AMC- Cesc Fabregas (Barcelona, Free Transfer)
Signed for free from Barcelona’s academy, La Masia, Fabregas would go on to play 212 times for Arsenal, becoming club captain in the process.
Despite some bad blood between the clubs fans and the player following Fabregas’ departure to boyhood club Barcelona in 2011, before returning to the Premier League with rivals Chelsea in 2014, Fabregas’ creativity and ability to dictate a game made him a superstar at Arsenal, and his price tag makes him a no brainer in Wenger’s transfer XI.
LW – Robert Pires (Marseille, £6 million)
Signing for Arsenal in 2000 to replace Marc Overmars, who just misses out on this list, Pires became a vital part of Arsenal’s creative midfield and proved a reliable goal-scorer as he earned two Premier League winner’s medals, and three FA cups. Pires’ 84 goals from 189 appearances for Arsenal presents an impressive return on the £6 million spent to bring the Frenchman to North London.
CF – Thierry Henry (Juventus, £11 million)
Little needs to be said about Thierry Henry. His actions in an Arsenal shirt speak louder than any words could. Arsenal’s all-time record goal-scorer is perhaps the greatest signing ever made by Arsene Wenger. Signed for £11 million from Italian giants Juventus, Henry would go on to score 176 Premier League goals for Arsenal, winning two Premier League titles and three FA cups before eventually moving to Barcelona.
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