With Mikel Arteta’s transfer spending now surpassing the £1 billion mark, Arsenal have undergone one of the most dramatic rebuilds in the club’s modern history. When Arteta arrived in December 2019, fans were asked to “trust the process” as he set about transforming a squad that had fallen well short of the standards expected at the Emirates.
A rebuild of true scale
The scale of that rebuild is evident today. Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka are among the very few players who remain from the squad Arteta inherited, highlighting just how much change has taken place over the past six-and-a-half years.
The need for change went far beyond a lack of quality on the pitch. Arsenal also lacked unity and direction behind the scenes, with several reports at the time pointing to divisions within the dressing room. Senior figures such as Sokratis, Sead Kolasinac, Shkodran Mustafi and Mesut Özil were all moved on as Arteta looked to reshape the culture of the club and build a squad aligned with his vision.
The influence of the Sporting Director
Alongside Sporting Director Edu and, more recently, Andrea Berta, Arteta has overseen a remarkable recruitment drive that has transformed Arsenal from a side struggling to compete for the top four into one capable of challenging for the biggest honours in football.
With that in mind, here are my five favourite signings of the Arteta era.
So who makes the final cut?
5. Jurrien Timber – The fifth best signing of the Arteta era, falls to Dutch full back. Arriving in the summer of 2023 for £34m pounds from Ajax, JT arrived with the bang playing in our community shield win against Manchester City, lifting silverware in his first game, exciting the fans and giving them hope. Since then he has been magnificent, barely placing a foot wrong at the back, whilst providing goals going forward. With the most memorable coming this season against Chelsea at home and Bayern at home in the UCL. Overall, a solid bit of business.
4. Martin Odegaard – The fourth addition falls to our skipper- what can i say? The man simply has to be in the list, regardless of him not being at his best the past season, the man captained us to our first Premier League title in twenty-two years. The leadership, the control, the technicality has been a massive factor in the rebuilt- end of.
3. David Raya – Three time consecutive Golden Glove winner, the man who could have won us the title with that save at West Ham, David Raya. I wrote in my article yesterday I was sceptical regarding the arrival of David. However, I was entirely wrong. The shot stopping, the ball distribution, everything about this guy is top – a club legend already.
2. Gabriel – Our king of Brazil, the best CB in the world. If this man continues at this level and stays at the level he is performing at now, he will be not only one of the Arsenal greats but a Premier League great. The way he gets up for every header, the fight, the headers at corners, the passion. I love everything about this man – we would not have one the league without him. End of.
1. Declan Rice – Declan Rice we got him half price. WOW, just wow. The workhouse, the powerhouse, the core of the side. The rightful Premier League player of the season. I was there for his first goal for Arsenal, the 90th minute winner against Man United, I knew from that moment he would be a great. How often do you hear people talk about £100 million price for others players, Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, Coutinho and talk about how they flopped. You know a player is quality, when no one mentions that he cost £100 million. For me, he is the best player of the Emirates era. Hence why he is my number.
And not forgetting……
Honourable mentions include Leandro Trossard, Kai Havertz, Ben White, Viktor Gykorers and Mikel Merino.