Arsenal Insider has ranked Arsenal’s most expensive transfer sales in their history.
The Gunners have been blessed with some truly world-class players through the years. But there was a period later on during the iconic tenure of Arsene Wenger at Arsenal that rivals would poach the key stars in his sides.
Although some of the finest Premier League talents have graced the pitches at Highbury and Emirates Stadium, Arsenal have sometimes struggled to get good value fees for their sales.
In recent seasons, Arsenal have even had to settle for terminating the contracts of expensive stars such as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Nicolas Pepe.
The Gunners have made some good sales over the years, too, though. Wenger, in particular, was adept at reinvesting these fees in young talents who blossomed into top-tier footballers.
Arsenal’s most expensive transfer sales ever
A lack of regular big-ticket sales in recent years has caused problems at Arsenal, however. Other Premier League clubs such as Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Brighton have funded their squads by earning huge fees for their departing players.
While Arsenal’s ambition should be beyond transfer profits and should not become a selling club again, earning full value for players they no longer need would put them in better stead when it comes to recruiting top talents and backing Mikel Arteta in transfer markets.
That is not to say the Gunners have not made some good sales over the years. So, Arsenal Insider has listed the top 10 biggest fees Arsenal have received for selling their players…
10: Robin van Persie – £24m transfer to Manchester United
- Robin Van Persie
- To: Manchester United
- Date Sold: August 2012
- Appearances: 278
- Honours: FA Cup (x1), Community Shield (x2), Player of the Year (x1)
Arsenal convinced Robin van Persie to leave Feyenoord in 2004 and watched the striker become one of the top centre-forwards in England.
The Dutchman even took over as the Gunners’ captain ahead of the 2011/12 season. Yet Van Persie only retained the armband for one season before joining Manchester United for £24m in one of Arsenal’s most expensive transfer sales to date.
9: Samir Nasri – £25m transfer to Manchester City
- Samir Nasri
- To: Manchester City
- Date sold: August 2011
- Appearances: 125
- Honours: None
Samir Nasri lit up Emirates Stadium with his footwork for three seasons after moving to Arsenal from Marseille in July 2008. His ability to create magic, however, drew interest from Manchester City.
The Citizens eventually lured Nasri to Etihad Stadium for £25m in August 2011 after making the previous season’s PFA Team of the Year.
8: Emmanuel Adebayor – £25m transfer to Manchester City
- Emmanuel Adebayor
- To: Manchester City
- Date sold: July 2009
- Appearances: 142
- Honours: African Footballer of the Year (x1)
Manchester City’s newfound riches tempted Mark Hughes to raid Arsenal for Emmanuel Adebayor in July 2009. It also remains one of the most expensive sales that Arsenal have ever agreed to.
Adebayor had developed into a fine centre-forward during his time in north London, highlighted by his 24-goal Premier League campaign in 2007/08.
Yet his £25m move to Manchester City did not deliver much success and he left for Tottenham Hotspur in 2012 after an initial loan spell.
7: Joe Willock – £25m transfer to Newcastle United
- Joe Willock
- To: Newcastle United
- Date sold: August 2021
- Appearances: 78
- Honours: FA Cup (x1), Community Shield (x2)
Joe Willock developed into a fine box-to-box player after joining Arsenal’s academy as a kid. But first-team chances proved scarce under Arteta before the midfielder joined Newcastle United on loan.
Playing under Steve Bruce at St James’ Park brought out the best of Willock and the manager fought for Newcastle to secure a permanent £25m transfer.
Willock scored eight goals in just 14 Premier League games whilst on loan to Newcastle, having scored 11 and assisted four goals in 78 senior games for Arsenal.
6: Marc Overmars – £25m transfer to FC Barcelona
- Marc Overmars
- To: Barcelona
- Date sold: July 2000
- Appearances: 141
- Honours: Premier League (x1), FA Cup (x1), Community Shield (x3)
Marc Overmars arrived at Highbury to little fanfare yet his transfer to Barcelona in July 2000 remains one of Arsenal’s most expensive sales ever.
The winger proved his doubters wrong as one of the finest wide players in Europe. Overmars was a diminutive but very effective player on the flanks once he found his stride in north London.
His pace was particularly frightening for defenders who knew they could not give him even an inch. Overmars was also a big-game player but the injury problems that preceded his Arsenal career returned and limited his impact before Barcelona took a £25m chance.
5: Cesc Fabregas – £25.4m transfer to FC Barcelona
- Cesc Fabregas
- To: Barcelona
- Date sold: August 2011
- Appearances: 303
- Honours: FA Cup (x1), Community Shield (x2)
A return to Barcelona was always on the cards one day for Cesc Fabregas after Wenger lured the midfield maestro to Arsenal as a youth. That day eventually came in August 2011 as the Spaniard returned home for £25.4m having captained the Gunners since November 2008.
Fabregas offered Arsenal everything he had after becoming the club’s, at the time, youngest player aged 16 years and 177 days. He made his debut against Rotherham United in a League Cup tie in October 2003.
His only major honour in north London may have been the 2005 FA Cup but Fabregas left with a legacy. He made 303 appearances for Arsenal featuring 57 goals and 95 assists. Fabregas also won the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2008 with Spain as an Arsenal player.
4: Folarin Balogun – £25.7m transfer to AS Monaco
- Folarin Balogun
- To: AS Monaco
- Date sold: August 2023
- Appearances: 10
- Honours: None
Arsenal’s academy is famed for producing future stars of the game and it also developed one of their most expensive transfer sales with Folarin Balogun.
The striker joined Arsenal’s academy aged eight but struggled to make the step up to first-team football under Arteta. So, after a middle-of-the-road loan spell with Middlesbrough in 2022, he joined Stade de Reims on loan and hit great heights.
Balogun offered 21 goals in 37 Ligue 1 games with Reims to merit a £25.7m, potentially rising to £34.3m, transfer to Monaco in August 2023 as a widely sought-after striker.
3: Alex Iwobi – £28m transfer to Everton
- Alex Iwobi
- To: Everton
- Date sold: August 2019
- Appearances: 149
- Honours: FA Cup (x1), Community Shield (x2)
Alex Iwobi is a Hale End graduate who turned into one of Arsenal’s most expensive transfer sales when he joined Everton in August 2019.
The Toffees paid an initial £28m to push through a deadline day deal after manager Marco Silva failed in his pursuit of Wilfried Zaha. Everton also agreed to include add-ons that could take Iwobi’s transfer up to £40m.
Iwobi left Emirates Stadium as a one-time FA Cup winner in 2017, as well. The Lagos, Nigeria native also left north London having scored 15 and assisted 24 goals in 149 first-team appearances.
2: Emile Smith Rowe – £34m transfer to Fulham
- Emile Smith Rowe
- To: Fulham
- Date sold: August 2024
- Appearances: 115
- Honours: Community Shield (x2)
Emile Smith Rowe is another Hale End Academy graduate who left Arsenal to become one of the most expensive sales in the club’s history.
Fulham paid £27million upfront for the forward, with add-ons that take the deal up to £34million overall.
The versatile star moved to Craven Cottage after two seasons of struggling for game time at the Emirates Stadium.
Smith Rowe made 115 appearances for Arsenal, scoring 18 goals and assisting 13 for his teammates, bursting onto the scene at an important time in Arteta’s early tenure as manager.
1: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – £35m transfer to Liverpool
- Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
- To: Liverpool
- Date sold: August 2017
- Appearances: 198
- Honours: FA Cup (x3), Community Shield (x3)
Arsenal agreed to what so far remains their most expensive sale with the transfer of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to Liverpool in August 2017.
The midfielder-cum winger set the Reds back an initial £35m and secured a contract worth £120,000-a-week. Oxlade-Chamberlain had rejected a new contract worth up to £180,000-a/w to stay at Arsenal and also turned down a move to Chelsea.
Oxlade‑Chamberlain made it clear that he would not agree to renew his deal at Emirates Stadium, which had entered its final year. While his transfer also included add-ons that could take Oxlade-Chamberlain’s sale up to £40m if achieved.
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