Arsenal’s best Premier League signings of all time

Arsenal have spent well over a billion pounds on transfers since 1992, and a quintet of signings gave the club the best return on investment of the lot.

Here, FootballWhispers counts down Arsenal’s five best signings of the Premier League era.

We are not including free transfers or loan signings so Sol Campbell does not make it, while honourable mentions include Invincibles duo Dennis Bergkamp and Robert Pires, as well as the big-name purchases of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez in the Emirates era.

5) David Raya

Arsenal's current first-choice goalkeeper kicks off the list in David Raya.

Having initially joined on loan from Brentford for £3m, the Gunners decided to make the move permanent for £27m after an impressive debut season.

That fee looks like a bargain now as Raya played a big part in Arsenal finally winning the Premier League, as he won the Golden Glove for a third successive campaign.

There is an argument to say he is one of if not the best goalkeeper in the world right now, despite playing second fiddle to Unai Simon for World Cup winners Spain.

4) William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes

Ok, we are cheating here by including two players, but it is hard to separate William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes as a defensive duo!

The pair perfectly complement each other at centre-back, and have been huge in Arsenal's drastic improvement defensively in recent seasons.

Both players were signed for a combined £50m, which is absolute bargain considering the fees some players are selling for in today's market.

Gabriel's 24 goals from centre-back especially needs a mention, as he has established himself as perhaps the biggest threat from set-pieces in the Premier League, while Saliba's pace off the ball and calmness on it has seen him courted by the biggest clubs in world football.

3) Declan Rice

It may be a surprise to see a signing that cost as much as £105m in third, but Declan Rice has raised the standards at Arsenal since he joined for a club-record fee.

After narrowly missing out on the title in 2022/23, the Gunners were determined to prove it was not a one-off challenge, and Rice's signing was a real statement of intent.

His consistently high-level performances have made him one of the first names on the team sheet for both club and country, and he has developed leadership qualities on the pitch despite not being Arsenal's official captain.

Rice is undoubtedly the standout signing of the new era under Mikel Arteta, and with him in the side, Arsenal should expect to win plenty more major silverware.

2) Patrick Vieira

Just missing out on top spot is a true legend not just of Arsenal, but the Premier League as well in Patrick Vieira.

Signed from AC Milan for what seems now like a measly £3.5m in 1996, the Frenchman was largely an unknown when Arsene Wenger brought him to the English top flight.

However, it soon became apparent how good he was, as he used his pace, strength and power to bully midfielders.

Vieira won the Premier League three times with Arsenal including as captain in the Invincibles season, where he famously scored the winner in the 2-1 victory against Leicester City at Highbury to ensure the Gunners went the whole league campaign unbeaten.

1) Arsenal’s best Premier League signing of all time: Thierry Henry

It should not be a surprise to see Thierry Henry as number one on this list.

Signed from Juventus for £11m in 1999, Wenger converted the Frenchman from a winger to one of the deadliest strikers world football has ever seen.

Henry won the Premier League Golden Boot in successive seasons between 2003/04 and 2004/05, and remains Arsenal's highest-ever goalscorer.

He is not just the best player to ever play for the Gunners, but perhaps in the Premier League as well.

If you enjoyed this list, feel free to check out who are Arsenal’s worst Premier League signings of all time.