During Arsene Wenger’s celebrated reign as Arsenal manager, he was the pioneer for a whole host of things, not least diet and nutrition, but his approach in the transfer market has inspired many.
Wenger was one of the first to aggressively scout overlooked regions like France and Africa. In doing so, he signed young up-and-coming players on the cheap and developed them into legends of the English game.
Think Freddie Ljungberg, who Wenger revealed that he signed from Swedish side Halmstad, having watched him playing for his country on television just twice.
“It was one of my great moments of madness”, the French boss later admitted.
A certain Kolo Toure was signed from Ivorian side ASEC Mimosas for just £150,000, eventually becoming a stalwart of the club’s backline over many a year.
Yet, two of Wenger’s biggest success stories remain all-time club record goalscorer Thierry Henry and former captain, Patrick Vieira.
Henry was signed from Juventus for just £11m. Initially arriving as a left winger, Arsenal’s great manager transformed him into one of the best strikers the game has ever seen.
Vieira, meanwhile, was signed for just £3.5m. Adjusted for inflation, Totally Money’s Transfer Index reckons Henry’s move in 2025 would be worth around £50m while Vieira’s move from Milan would be worth around £35m.
The biggest bargains of the Mikel Arteta era at Arsenal
While the Gunners spent a colossal amount of money this summer, ending the window as the second-highest spenders of all Premier League clubs, they have secured some notable bargains since Mikel Arteta arrived as Arsenal manager.
One of the biggest was undoubtedly Martin Odegaard. The Norwegian penned terms in 2021 on an initial loan deal before signing for just £30m in the summer of that year.
While the playmaker hasn’t hit top form over the last year, scoring just three times in the Premier League throughout 2024/25, his rise to stardom in English football has been immense.
In 2022/23, no midfielder scored more than Odegaard’s haul of 15 goals in the league. He’s also now the club captain and while he may not be as vocal as someone like Declan Rice, his actions speak volumes.
He’s always the first to lead the press and he really does coach some of his teammates through a match.
Speaking of leaders, William Saliba and Gabriel, arguably the finest centre-half partnership in English football, are perhaps the biggest bargains of the Arteta era.
Gabriel arrived from Lille in a deal worth just £23m and since then he has become a colossus at the back.
Since 2019/20, no defender has scored more than the Brazilian’s haul of 17. He’s a goalscorer but he’s also a rock of a defender. As Jamie Carragher once said, “I think Saliba is the better player but Gabriel is the better leader.”
For large parts of their partnership, the French defender has indeed been seen as the better player. Whether or not you agree with that is up for debate, but he cost just £27m and is on track to become “the best defender in the world” in the words of Rio Ferdinand.
But, speaking of Saliba, here lies what looks like Arsenal’s biggest bargain since the Wenger era.
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Arsenal have struck gold on £13m arrival
The Gunners spent lavishly this summer on bolstering their squad.
The arrival of a shiny new centre-forward in the form of Viktor Gyokeres has raised the levels at the Emirates. His signing was a necessity rather than a luxury. Arsenal needed a goalscoring striker and they have found one. The big Swede already has three goals in his first four matches.
Alongside him, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke serve as upgrades in attack. Madueke may not be an upgrade on Saka but as far as back-up is concerned, the Englishman certainly is.
As for Eze’s late £60m arrival last month, there was much fanfare, understandably so too. Eze has been lighting up the Premier League for a number of years now and their performances in the 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest was electrifying, earning comparisons to Saka and Smith Rowe.
Further back, however, Cristhian Mosquera deserves every ounce of praise for his performances since moving to the Emirates.
During the summer months, Berta worked hard to secure the 21-year-old’s signature. He had entered the last year of his deal at Valencia and as such, the Gunners were able to agree a cut-price fee of just £13m.
Well, the Spanish side must feel as though they’ve been robbed. When he first signed, Berta was delighted. Revealing his admiration for the young centre-back, the Italian stated: “We identified Cristhian as one of the strongest young defenders in European football, and he is an important signing for our future.”
Well, he’s certainly living up to that tag. That £13m spent is a bargain, an even bigger one than the likes of Odegaard, Saliba and Gabriel. You perhaps have to go back to the days of Vieira, Henry and Toure to find a better bargain.
While Mosquera was well known to LaLiga audiences, he wasn’t known at all in England. Berta really did take a leaf out of the Wenger playbook here and what a signing he already looks to be.
Club insider Hand of Arsenal described the youngster as a “monster” after his display against Forest, while Gunners writer Dan Critchlow noted that “it’s unbelievable we [Arsenal] didn’t face huge competition for him and pay a lot more”, suggesting he is an “incredible signing”.
So, why all the hype? Well, think of Gabriel and Saliba and in Mosquera, you have elements of both. Like Gabriel, he’s aggressive and front-footed. Like Saliba, his recovery pace is tremendous and his composure is remarkable for someone so young.
His introduction has been seamless and swift, swifter than anyone thought too. That has been born out of Saliba’s injury.
Mins played
85
90
Touches
62
92
Accurate passes
47/51
75/82
Clearances
3
4
Interceptions
0
2
Tackles
4
2
Ground duels won
4/5
2/2
Aerial duels won
0/0
1/2
The French centre-half limped off in the opening minutes of the defeat to Liverpool but Mosquera came on and looked unfazed. Arsenal may well have lost but the summer arrival didn’t put a foot wrong, winning four of his five duels and completing 92% of his passes.
Against Forest, his first clean sheet as an Arsenal player, he was equally as dominant, completing 91% of his passes and winning three of his four defensive duels.
To sign the defender for just £13m was remarkable; he really does look as though he boasts the potential to become one of the finest players in his position in the Premier League.