Arsenal FC: Arsene Wenger's 10 greatest signings for the Gunners

Arsene Wenger - Getty

English football may never see another reign like Arsene Wenger's at Arsenal.

Few Premier League fans had heard of the Frenchman when he arrived from Japan in 1996 with one newspaper infamously
greeting his appointment with the headline 'Arsene who?'

Wenger steered the Gunners to League and FA Cup doubles in 1998 and 2002 before pulling off the crowning achievement of his career in 2003-04 as Arsenal's 'invincibles' went the entire league season unbeaten.

Wenger's 10 greatest signings during his time at the club 👇

10. Aaron Ramsey (£4.8m from Cardiff)

Aaron Ramsey - Getty via ExpressUK

Narrowly edging Emmanuel Petit out by virtue of his superior longevity, Aaron Ramsey was coveted by a host of clubs when Arsenal snapped him up from Cardiff City at the age of 17 in 2008.

9. Gael Clichy (£338k from Cannes)

Clichy - Arsenal.com

Wenger had an uncanny knack for spotting young, players with a bright future, and Gael Clichy was one of those.

8. Nicolas Anelka (£500k from PSG)

Nicolas Anelka - Getty

Another who falls firmly into the category of successful youngsters from France, Nicolas Anelka arrived at Arsenal as a 17-year old in 1997 having struggled for first team football at Paris Saint-Germain.

7. Robin Van Persie (£2.75m from Feyenoord)

Robin Van Persie - Getty

There was a lot of pressure on the shoulders of Robin Van Persie when he arrived at Arsenal, with many expecting him to fill the shoes of retiring compatriot Dennis Bergkamp.

6. Robert Pires (£6m from Marseille)

Robert Pires - PlanetFootball

Arsenal beat off competition from Real Madrid and Juventus to sign Robert Pires in 2000, and they reaped the reward for six of the most successful years under Wenger.

5. Freddie Ljungberg (£3m from Halmstad)

Ljungberg - Shortlist

Freddie Ljungberg did not take too long to endear himself to the Arsenal fans, scoring on his debut against their closest competitors Manchester United in 1998, and he would continue to a favourite until his departure in 2007.

4. Kolo Toure (£150k from ASEC Mimosas)

Kolo Toure - Arsenal-Mania

The story of Kolo Toure's first trial at Arsenal has passed into Legend; during a routine drill, when defenders were expected to simply keep their position, the youngster launched two-footed tackles from behind on star men Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp. Not content with that, he then accidentally two-footed Wenger himself to send the manager limping off the training pitch.

3. Cesc Fabregas (£2.88m from Barcelona)

Fabregas - Getty

Wenger's eye for a youngster was perhaps best demonstrated when he snapped up Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona's famed La Masia Academy in 2003

2. Sol Campbell (Free from Tottenham)

Campbell - Imago via Transfermarkt

Undoubtedly the Wenger signing which caused the most controversy, but also one of his best and an absolute no-brainer from Arsenal's point of view.

1. Thierry Henry (£14.5m from Juventus)

Henry - Getty via Talksport

Could it really be anyone else? Yes, Henry cost significantly more than any other player on the list, but he was also worth every single penny and more.
SportsMole



My best of them all:
Thierry Henry was my favorite footballer, everything about him just made sense to me, including his errors on the field of play 😀😀😀