Arsenal endured a frustrating January transfer window as their pursuit of some attacking options failed as they ended the window with nobody.
Arsenal’s lack of transfer activity has already come back to haunt them as Gabriel Martinelli is out for over a month with a hamstring injury to join Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus in the treatment room.
It leaves Mikel Arteta very short of options in attack ahead of some crucial fixtures upon return from the mid-season break to Dubai.
Kieran Tierney may have to be used as a left winger as the Gunners try to think of creative solutions to their injury crisis. How they could use an inspirational signing from Arsene Wenger right now.
READ MORE: Arsenal players are ‘not allowed’ to do one thing in Dubai after Mikel Arteta imposes strict rule
Arsene Wenger’s top ten Arsenal signings
Arsene Wenger was known for finding a diamond in the rough in a metaphorical transfer sense, he pulled off some amazing deals for Arsenal. Here are his top ten signings as Gunner boss.
Emmanuel Petit
Arsenal signed little-known Emmanuel Petit from Monaco for £3.5m as per The Independent in July 1997. In his first season at the club, the French midfielder was instrumental in the Gunners winning the Premier League and FA Cup double.
Petit recently left Tony Adams and Patrick Vieira out of his best XI but the club double their profit on Petit as he joined Barcelona in 2000 having played 118 times for the Gunners, scoring on 11 occasions.
Freddie Ljungberg
Unknown Freddie Ljungberg joined Arsenal in July 1998 from Swedish side Halmstads BK. The Swede made an instant impact for the Gunners by scoring against Manchester United on his debut in the Charity Shield.
Ljungberg went on to play 328 times for the club, scoring on 72 occasions and becoming one of the most deadly wingers in world football. His relationship on the pitch with Dennis Bergkamp was a factor in guiding Arsenal to the double in 2002 and an invincible league title in 2004.
In 2019, Ljungberg took charge as Arsenal caretaker manager following the departure of Unai Emery and steadied the ship before the appointment of Arteta. The Swede is an Arsenal hero to many fans.
Kolo Toure
As per the Arsenal official website, Kolo Toure injured Wenger in a tackle in his very first training session. The Ivorian’s determination and tenacity was enough to convince the boss to sign him from ASEC Mimosas in 2002.
Toure went on to become one of the best transfers in Premier League history in terms of value, as he made 326 appearances for the Gunners and was outstanding in the 2004 Invincible campaign.
Santi Cazorla
Wenger signed Santi Cazorla for around £15m in the summer of 2012. The Spanish magician went on to play 180 times for Arsenal before his Gunners career was cruelly cut short with a bad ankle injury.
Cazorla scored in the 2014 FA Cup final win, Arsenal’s first trophy for nine years and often dazzled supporters with his neat foot work and ability to strike the ball equally as well with both feet.
Cazorla has been linked with a return to Arsenal in a coaching role and should the links come to fruition, it would give Arsenal fans the opportunity to properly thank a returning hero.
Aaron Ramsey
Aaron Ramsey was signed from Cardiff for around £5m by Wenger back in July 2008. Ramsey began to break into the first team at a young age before a horrific leg break suffered at Stoke after a challenge from defender Ryan Shawcross.
Ramsey recovered well though from injury and went on to make 369 appearance for the Gunners, scoring 64 times with his trademark runs from midfield.
Ramsey named Cazorla as his favourite Arsenal team mate and the Welsh international will go down in Arsenal history as the player who scored two different winning FA Cup goals – one in 2014 against Hull and one in 2017 against Chelsea.
Mesut Ozil
Arguably Arsenal’s most famous ever signing. Deadline Day in 2013, Arsenal pulled off a record £40m signing of Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid.
Ethan Nwaneri named Ozil in his dream Arsenal side and the German international hit the ground running in North London upon his arrival.
Despite leaving the club on a slightly sour note, Ozil made 254 appearances with 44 goals and 74 assists. Arsenal fans will never forget where they were the day that Wenger signed the assist king.
Sol Campbell
A transfer that had to be kept so secret that David Dein and Wenger met with Sol Campbell and his agent during the early hours of the morning in Dein’s back garden.
Campbell and Arsenal shocked world football when he moved across North London from Spurs on a free transfer in July 2001.
The England defender went on to win two Premier League titles and three FA Cups with the Gunners, he also scored in the 2006 Champions League final defeat to Barcelona.
He returned to the club for another spell in 2010 towards the back end of his career and amassed 211 appearances for the club, going down as one of the club’s greatest ever defenders.
Robert Pires
Robert Pires initially struggled to adapt to life at Arsenal after joining from Marseille in 2000. However, the French winger went on to become one of the greatest midfielders the Premier League has ever seen.
Pires made 284 appearances for the Gunners, scoring 84 goals and creating 63 more. He won the Premier League twice and the FA Cup three times, he was awarded the Football Writers Player of the Year in 2002,
Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira was signed from AC Milan as Wenger’s first acquisition as Gunners boss in 1996. The French midfielder went on to win almost everything in the game as he captained the club to an Invincible league title in 2004, alongside winning the double in 1998 and 2002.
Vieira won the FA Cup with his last kick for Arsenal and is often remembered for his combative style in midfield during battles with Manchester United’s Roy Keane.
Elegant on the ball, tenacious in the tackle, Vieira was the complete midfielder and left for Juventus in 2005 with a host of honour under Wenger.
Thierry Henry
Arsenal’s all time record scorer Thierry Henry was signed from Juventus as a left winger in 1999 after making his name in the French 98 World Cup squad.
Henry was converted into a striker by Wenger and went on to score 228 goals in 377 appearances across two glorious spells for the Gunners.
He is widely regarded as the greatest ever Premier League player and has won everything there is to win the game of football.
Thierry Henry was a one-of-a-kind talent and the Gunners will always remember his time spent in North London, he is a true Arsenal legend.
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