I’m not sure that an Arsenal player has ever divided opinion amongst fans (let’s face it, we don’t care what the media think) as much as Mesut Ozil.
For those old enough, they may remember that Charlie Nicholas had a similar effect back in the early 80's, but not like this. Football is much bigger and much more expensive now than it was then, more money comes with more scrutiny.
Trying to find out who Arsenal fans think the clubs most exciting signing to date has been, was an idea brought about whilst thinking about the aforementioned Ozil and although he is no longer the Gunners most expensive signing (this accolade now belongs to Aubameyang) is he the biggest name and therefore the most exciting signing the club has ever made?
Remember players such as Henry and Vieira were not the huge names that they became at the time of signing. Others such as Pires and Nasri were highly thought of and certainly in the case of Pires became much more than we could of hoped.
Recently I took to Twitter to see who you, Arsenal fans thought Arsenal’s most exciting signing to date has been. Notable mentions for a few players who just missed the cut, Pires, Nasri, Arshavin, Rosicky and yes, Champagne Charlie Nicholas. Trust me this signing was a big deal at the time since he rejected both Liverpool and Manchester United in favour of Highbury.
The Countdown...
8. Marc Overmars From Ajax for £6.75m in 1997
To be honest I thought the little Dutch winger would have been higher up than this. Already an established International, Overmars had scored 36 goals in 136 games for Ajax. His impact was much bigger than his transfer fee, scoring twice against Everton to seal the title in 1998, he followed this up a few weeks later scoring in the FA Cup final and then there was the small matter of that goal at Old Trafford in 2002.
7. Alex Lacazette From Lyon for £52m in 2017
Arsenal wanted Lacazette a year earlier but finally got their man in the summer of 2017. Lacazette was the player Arsenal fans had been waiting for since the departure of Robin Van Persie. The French International had scored 100 goals in 203 games for Lyon. He currently has 27 in 62 for the Gunners.
6. Alexis Sanchez From Barcelona for £31m in 2013
Sanchez was certainly an exciting signing at a time when Arsenal had forwards such as Chamakh and Gervinho. Sanchez had scored 39 goals in 88 games at Barcelona but it was his overall style and play that excited fans. Sanchez may have ranked higher had his departure not been so acrimonious.
Joint 6th. Ian Wright From Crystal Palace for £2.5m in 1991
At a time when Arsenal weren’t struggling to score goals George Graham surprised us all by signing Wright who’d scored 90 goals in 225 appearances for the Eagles. Wright wasted no time getting in on the goals, scoring on his debut in the league Cup followed days later with a hatrick on his league debut at Southampton. We all know what followed.
4. Pierre Emerick Aubameyang From Dortmund for £56m in 2018
Given Arsenal’s recent struggles signing a player of Aubemayang’s quality was a huge boost. The man who enjoys scoring goals, 98 for Dortmund and also celebrating them, we can now add a Black Panther mask to the list!! Aubameyang has 27 goals so far and is currently in the race for the Golden Boot with 17 league goals to date.
3. Sol Campbell Free transfer from Tottenham in 2001
Arsenal took Spurs captain and best player for absolutely nothing. Cue hilarity and brilliant songs, oh and Campbell won the double in his first season at Highbury. Of course had Campbell come from almost any other club he wouldn’t have ranked as high despite his obvious talent.
2. Dennis Bergkamp £7.5m from Inter Milan in 1995
One of the biggest names in World football was going to sign for Arsenal but after a poor spell in Italy there were question marks about Bergkamp’s mental toughness but not his ability. After a slow start the Dutch International exploded with two goals against Southampton and the rest is history. Bergkamp recorded 94 Premier league assists and 87 overall goals in 315 appearances.
1. Mesut Ozil £42.5m from Real Madrid in 2013
Arsenal’s most exciting signing ever. Ozil a German International playing in his prime for Real Madrid. Ozil an assist machine recorded 55 in 108 games for Werder Bremen before his move to Real Madrid. In La Liga he recorded 47 assists and 19 goals.
Ozil is the only player to record the most assists in a season in the Bundesliga, La Liga and the Premier League. He is also the quickest player to reach 50 Premier league assists doing it in 141 games. Until his recent international retirement the playmaker recorded 41 assists and 23 goals.
Honestly how often will Arsenal sign a World class player in his prime from a European giant?
By Dave Squires
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