Arsenal have often had the clout to recruit the most talented and promising footballers in the world, but most of them have been the most notable New signings came during the summer window.
The Gunners have never been big spenders in January and their track record in the winter market is mixed. The start of the new year saw some flops travel to North London, but there were also a number of notable and transformative success stories.
Let’s take a look at Arsenal’s best January signings since the window was first introduced in the 2002/03 season.
While he is far from Arsenal’s most glamorous signing in the Premier League era, few have worked harder in the red jersey than Nacho Monreal. He arrived from Malaga for £8.5 million in 2013 and went on to spend six and a half years with the Gunners, making over 250 appearances and winning three FA Cups.
The left-back was a tireless servant during a difficult time for the club, wearing his heart on his sleeve and making over 35 appearances in each of his full seasons. In the 2017/18 season he even had a high-scoring season, scoring six goals in all competitions.
He left the Emirates as a clear fan favorite, although he will not be competing for a starting place in Arsenal’s all-time XI.
Emmanuel Adebayor and Arsenal did not end well. After leaving north London for Manchester City in 2009, he built bridges with the club and its fans through his production The Celebration at a meeting between the two sides shortly after his departure.
He was unlikely to endear himself to his former supporters by running all over the pitch and kneeling in front of the traveling Arsenal fans, but the Togo international was still an undeniably impressive signing when he joined the club in 2006 Gunners changed.
He scored four Premier League goals in his first half of the season in the capital and doubled that number the following season. But it wasn’t until the 2007-08 season that he caught the attention when he scored 24 league goals in 36 games.
Theo Walcott provided Arsenal with reliable and dedicated service for 12 years, etching his name into the club’s history books after moving to north London from Southampton in 2006. It didn’t take long for him to get up to speed, as he wasn’t signed until he was 16 years old, although he never quite reached the high standards expected of him.
The speedy winger made a total of 382 appearances for Arsenal, scoring 106 goals for the club. His most productive season came in 2012/13. He scored 21 goals and provided 11 assists in all competitions, taking his total to 23 assists from the previous season.
While Walcott wasn’t overly ambitious about silver medals during his Arsenal career, he did win the FA Cup twice and even scored in a 4-0 win over Aston Villa in the 2014/15 final.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang became Arsenal’s record signing in 2017/18, joining the club for £56 million. Of course, expectations were extremely high for the former Borussia Dortmund livewire, who was known for his ruthlessness in front of goal and devastating speed.
These traits quickly became apparent at the Emirates as he scored 14 goals and provided assists in as many games in his first six months. The Gabon international significantly exceeded this record the following season and won the Premier League Golden Boot with 22 goals.
The goals continued in subsequent seasons and a timely brace in the 2019/20 FA Cup final against Chelsea secured Arsenal’s latest major title.
A falling out with Mikel Arteta saw his Arsenal career end somewhat prematurely, but he remains one of the club’s most devastating modern greats.
This is marked with a small asterisk. Arsenal signed Martin Odegaard permanently in the summer window, but he was initially loaned to the club for six months in January 2021.
Odegaard was considered a superstar from an incredibly young age, but despite several impressive loan spells, his potential was not enough to earn him a regular role in Real Madrid’s first team. He increased his skills with a temporary move to the Emirates and the Spanish giants were happy to accept a £30m deal.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Odegaard has become a transformative figure in Arsenal’s engine room, leading the club’s revolution under Arteta. As captain of the team, his ingenuity, creativity and magical left foot have taken the Gunners to the brink of greatness.
The 26-year-old has plenty of time to further enhance his Arsenal legacy.