Arsenal's best and worst summer signings over the years

Arsenal's best and worst summer signings over the years

By Jonny Bray
Arsenal have experienced many ups and downs during the summer transfer window in years gone by.
The club was once renowned for outstanding recruitment, purchasing players of the highest standard from all over the world for below their eventual market value.
That reputation has taken a bit of a knock over the last two decades, but the club is still capable of pulling off a coup every now and again.
With the summer transfer window coming into view, what better time to look at Arsenal's best and worst summer signings from down the years?

Best

Sol Campbell

Signing Sol Campbell had everything.
First and foremost, he was a great player who was a played a crucial part in some outstanding sides.
He is widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders in Premier League history, and he was vital to the Invincibles side that went an entire league campaign undefeated.
But the nature of his signing made it even better, joining on a free transfer from arch rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
This was after publicly declaring his desire to stay at Spurs on several occasions.
And best of all, he was proven entirely right to do so, winning several trophies and reaching a Champions League Final during his time at Highbury.

Patrick Vieira

Arsenal's £3.5 million move for Patrick Vieira back in 1996 may be one of the best bits of business in the history of the Premier League.
The fee would not guarantee you goals in the Championship these days, but back then it was enough to buy one of the world's best players.
He completed nine seasons with the Gunners, playing at least 30 games in all but two of them and building a reputation as one of the best all-around midfielders the game had seen.
He won everything there is to win in North London and now looks as if he could one day lead the club as manager.

Worst

Nicolas Pépé

Signing Nicolas Pépé for £72 million has proven to be a huge mistake for Arsenal's recruitment team.
The winger is simply not good enough.
He is a decent finisher and has shown that he can chip in with the odd goal and assist here and there.
But he is nowhere near the level that a £72 million player should be.
It is a shame because it looked as if he could be on his way to fulfilling his potential at points two seasons ago.
However, after nearly three years with the club, it wouldn't be at all surprising if the Côte d'Ivoire international departed the club this summer, for a fraction of his original fee.

Shkodran Mustafi

The signing of Shkodran Mustafi was symbolic of everything that was wrong with Arsenal during the 2010s.
He joined the club during the summer of 2016 for £35 million, and he had a big reputation after a successful spell with Valencia.
However, Gunners fans quickly realised that the club had been hoodwinked.
He became a meme, mercilessly ridiculed online for his catalogue of his errors.
Was the criticism that came his way always fair? No.
But he was often the reason why Arsenal let big moments slip past them, costing us countless points over the years.
For that reason, he is probably the worst signing in the club's history.
Photo Credit: Getty Images 

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