Wenger's top 10 most expensive signings as Arsenal manager including £35m flop

Arsene Wenger had an exceptional career at Arsenal spanning 22 years, and he left in 2018 as the clubs longest serving and most successful manager.

Wenger won three Premier League titles at Arsenal including the famous invincible season during the 2003/04 campaign, and won a staggering seven FA Cups during his time in north London, narrowly missing out on the Champions League.

After Wenger was appointed in 1996, the Frenchman signed some of the greats, as legend such as Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry, Patrick Viera and Robert Pires all were brought in during his tenure.

Wenger made 126 different signings during his time at Arsenal, and 222 different players featured for the Gunners during the Frenchman's 22-year reign, but who were the most expensive?

Here Mirror Football takes a look at Wenger's top 10 expensive signings at Arsenal and how they fared...

10. Danny Welbeck - £16m

Danny Welbeck signed for Arsenal in 2014 ( Image:

GETTY)

Danny Welbeck ended his 13 year stay with boyhood club Manchester United to join rivals Arsenal in 2014 as the striker struggled to break into the first team past Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney.

United also signed Falcao which ended Welbeck's stay, and the Englishman scored a winning goal against his former side to knock them out of the FA Cup in his first season with the Gunners.

Welbeck has always been a favourite wherever he has gone, but injuries have plagued the strikers career at Arsenal and upon leaving the club in 2019.

The 30-year-old now plays for fellow Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion.

9. Lucas Perez - £17.1m

Lucas Perez signed for Arsenal in 2016 ( Image:

GETTY)

Lucas Perez joined Arsenal in 2016 after the Gunners missed out on Jamie Vardy, according to reports, despite head of international scouting Francis Cagigao warning the club that he was "a mid-table player".

The Spaniard came off the back of a prolific year at Deportivo La Coruna and had been likened to former Arsenal striker Lukas Podolski due to his powerful left foot, but Perez managed just one goal in 11 Premier League games before being loaned back to Spain.

Perez joined West Ham United on a permanent deal in 2018, but he also failed to impress and headed back to Spain where all of his success landed.

The Spaniard now plays fro La Liga side Elche.

8. Jose Antonio Reyes - £17.5m

Jose Antonio Reyes signed for Arsenal in 2004 ( Image:

Getty Images)

Jose Antonio Reyes signed for Arsenal in 2004 after the exciting winger impressed with Sevilla in Spain.

Reyes has a mixed legacy at Arsenal but admitted throughout his career that he was homesick, so after two seasons he was loaned to Real Madrid before permanently signing for Atletico Madrid in 2007.

The Spaniard spent the majority of his remaining career in Spain and even returned to former side Sevilla where he felt most at home before ending his playing days in China.

Reyes tragically died in 2019 in a fatal car crash at the age of just 35.

7. Calum Chambers - £18m

Calum Chambers signed for Arsenal in 2014 ( Image:

PA Wire/PA Images)

Calum Chambers is still active in the Arsenal side now but his transfer didn't work out as initially planned, as the then 19-year-old was signed from Southampton in 2014.

Chambers has been out on loan twice during his Arsenal career, most recently during the 2018/19 season with Fulham, but has shown signs of promise since returning from Craven Cottage.

A serious injury ruled out the defender for nine months, but Chambers made his return at the start of last season and has featured in the side so far this campaign.

The 26-year-old still has a lot of potential and a long career ahead, but it remains to be seen if that future is at Arsenal.

6. Alexis Sanchez - £32m

Alexis Sanchez signed for Arsenal in 2014 ( Image:

GETTY)

Alexis Sanchez took the Premier League by storm when Arsenal signed the Chilean from Barcelona in 2014, as he became one of the league's best players.

The winger highlighted his quality at Barcelona but was overshadowed by the likes of Lionel Messi and Neymar, so a move to Arsenal followed and he became the Gunners' main man.

Sanchez was involved in a swap deal with Manchester United for Henrikh Mkhitarayan in 2018 and fans were shocked as the Chilean seemed to lose all of his ability as the move was completed.

The winger now plays for Inter Milan but struggles to lay down a consistent starting role, and everyone is confused as to what has happened to the former world-class talent.

5. Granit Xhaka - £34m

Granit Xhaka signed for Arsenal in 2016 ( Image:

GETTY)

It seems as though Arsenal have been in need of a holding midfielder for years, and Granit Xhaka was supposed to be the perfect solution to the ongoing problem.

The Swiss international was signed from Borussia Monchengladbach in 2016 after Arsenal allegedly backed out of a deal for N'Golo Kante, and became the Gunners captain in 2019.

Xhaka was involved in a furious exchange with the Arsenal fans as he was booed following his substitution at the Emirates Stadium, and proceeding to make several gestures to the crowd, and was stripped of his captaincy.

The midfielder began to make more of a statement following his return to the side, but an injury against Tottenham has ruled him out for up to three months to kick off this season.

4. Shkodran Mustafi - £35m

Shkodran Mustafi signed for Arsenal in 2016 ( Image:

Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

Shkodran Mustafi was signed by Arsenal in 2016 from Valencia and made a tremendous start to life at the club as he remained unbeaten during his first 17 starts for the club.

The German defender appeared to be the real deal but after a crucial mistake in the EFL Cup final against Manchester City, his career seemed to plummet.

Arsenal and Mustafi reached a mutual agreement to terminate his contract in 2021 and the defender joined Schalke who were relegated from the Bundesliga.

Mustafi now plays for Levante in Spain, but has only managed one league appearance since signing.

3. Mesut Ozil - £42.5m

Mesut Ozil signed for Arsenal in 2013 ( Image:

Clive Rose/Getty Images)

Mesut Ozil was signed for a club-record fee back in 2013, as the German arrived from Real Madrid in a deal worth £42.5m.

The fee was a lot of money back in 2013 as opposed to todays market, which signalled a real sign of intent by Wenger as the German became a star in the Arsenal midfield.

Ozil made a name for himself as the 'assist king' as he regularly looked to set up his teammates, and during the 2015/16 season the German managed a staggering 19 assists, a record only beaten by Thierry Henry throughout Premier League history.

The German was excluded from Arsenal's squad towards the end of his spell in London as he was omitted from their Premier League squad which resulted in a move to Fenerbahce as Ozil endured an ugly end to his Gunners career.

2. Alexandre Lacazette - £47m

Alexandre Lacazette signed for Arsenal in 2017 ( Image:

Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Arsenal broke their club transfer record again to sign Alexandre Lacazette from Lyon in 2017 after the Frenchman boasted an exceptional scoring record in France.

Lacazette scored 100 Ligue 1 goals for his side and holds a pretty decent record for Arsenal despite being used as an option off the bench the majority of the time.

The Frenchman found it difficult to impress as Wenger was replaced by Unai Emery, despite winning Arsenal's player of the season award for the 2018/19 campaign.

Lacazette could leave Arsenal for nothing next summer as he begins the final year of his contract, and no talks of a new deal have been disclosed.

1. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - £56m

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang signed for Arsenal in 2018 ( Image:

REUTERS)

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was Wenger's last major signing as Arsenal boss, and ended up being the biggest in his managerial career as he brought in the Gabonese striker from Borussia Dortmund.

The striker was exceptional for Dortmund as he scored 98 Bundesliga goals in 144 league games, and his ratio has only slightly lessened since joining Arsenal.

Aubameyang single-handedly won Arsenal the FA Cup in 2017 as he scored twice in both the semi-final and final as the Gunners beat Manchester City and Chelsea on their way to success, and continues to be the clubs primary attacker at the age of 32.

The Gabonese international scored during Arsenal's 3-1 victory over Tottenham last Sunday, and looks sharp again after a difficult start to the season.