Arsene Wenger: top 10 Arsenal signings

01 October 2009 07:54
1. Thierry Henry When he arrived at Highbury from Juventus for £10 million in August 1999, some of the game's observers blinked in horror at the price tag. Brought in as a replacement for Nicolas Anelka, Wenger transformed the tall Frenchman from a meandering winger into one of the Premier League's most feared forwards. Wenger made a tidy profit of almost £6 million when he sold him on to Barcelona in 2007. 2. Patrick Vieira Wenger knew that if Arsenal were to break Manchester United's Premier League hegemony, he would need an answer to Roy Keane. Vieira was that man. Knowing how important the combative midfielder would be in the rough and tumble of England's top flight, Wenger urged Arsenal to purchase the Frenchman from AC Milan before his own arrival at Highbury. At £3.5 million, his transfer fee was a bargain. 3. Nicolas Anelka Perhaps Wenger's best signing from a financial perspective. Bought from Paris St-Germain for just £500,000 in 1997, the Arsenal manager sold him to Real Madrid for £23 million two seasons later. While he was at Highbury his galloping gait and explosive pace helped the Gunners wrest the league title from Manchester United's grasp in 1998. 4. Robert Pirès Now plying his trade for Villlarreal in the Spanish La Liga, the French winger gradually wove his way into Arsenal fans' affections after arriving from Metz for £6 million in 2000. An indifferent start to his career in England led some pundits to suggest that he would never adapt to the rigours of Premier League competition. Pires proved his pedigree in his second season in Arsenal colours and went on to win the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year in 2002. 5. Cesc Fàbregas Having arrived from Barcelona at the age of 16 in September 2003, Wenger nurtured this precocious young performer into a world-class talent. Blessed with superb technique and bird's eye vision, he pulls the strings in Arsenal's midfield. 6. Emmanuel Petit The dashing Gallic midfielder was first signed by Wenger at Monaco. He rejoined his fellow Frenchman at Highbury in June 1997 for £2.5 million. After turning Petit from a centre-back into a defensive midfielder and pairing him alongside Vieira, he inspired Arsenal to the domestic double in his very first season. After expressing a wish to move to Barcelona he was sold to the Catalan club for around £7 million in 2000. 7. Freddie Ljungberg Catapulted from obscurity when Wenger brought him in from Swedish side Halmstads for £3 million in 1998, this model professional became a big favourite of the North Bank. Ljungberg was arguably at his best during the 2001-02 season as Arsenal clinched their second domestic double. The Swede scored in the majority of games during the run-in, including a sublime strike in the 2-0 FA Cup final win over Chelsea. 8. Andrei Arshavin Signed from Zenit St Petersburg for £15 million following protracted transfer negotiations, this diminutive magician has already sprinkled plenty of stardust down the flanks of the Emirates pitch. 9. Marc Overmars The flying Dutchman arrived at Highbury in 1997 for £6 million from Ajax and literally hit the ground running. Nicknamed 'Roadrunner', his fleetness of foot sent many an opposition side into a frenzy of fear as he gunned defence after defence down. Sometimes referred to - perhaps unfairly - as 'Overbars', his price tag shot up far higher than any of his occasionally wayward shots when he was sold to Barcelona for £25 million in 2000. 10. Sol Campbell Brought in on a free transfer under the Bosman ruling from arch-rivals Tottenham in 2001 to fill the defensive vacuum left by Tony Adams, the centre-back formed the bedrock of Arsenal's defence and won two Premier League winners' medals and three FA Cups.

Source: Telegraph