Arsenal have often had the pulling power required to recruit the world’s most talented and promising footballers, but the majority of their most remarkable signings have come during the summer window.
The Gunners have never been particularly prolific spenders in January and their track record in the winter market is mixed. A fair few flops have journeyed to north London at the beginning of the new year, but there have been a number of notable and transformative success stories.
Let’s take a look at Arsenal’s best additions in January since the window was first implemented during the 2002/03 campaign.
While far from Arsenal’s most glamorous addition of the PREMIER League era, few have worked harder in a red shirt than Nacho Monreal. An £8.5m arrival from Malaga in 2013, he proceeded to spend six-and-a-half years with the Gunners, turn out over 250 times and win three FA Cups.
The left-back was a tireless servant during a difficult period for the club, wearing his heart on his sleeve and making over 35 appearances in each of his full seasons. He even managed a goal-laden campaign in 2017/18, producing six in all competitions.
He left the Emirates as a firm fan favourite, even if he will not be competing for a starting spot in Arsenal’s all-time XI.
Emmanuel Adebayor and Arsenal did not finish on good terms. After leaving north London for Manchester City in 2009, he burnt bridges with the club and their supporters by producing that celebration in a meeting between the two sides shortly after his exit.
Running the entire length of the pitch and knee sliding in front of the travelling Arsenal supporters was unlikely to endear him to his former followers, but the Togo international was still an undeniably impressive signing when he joined the Gunners in 2006.
He scored four PREMIER League goals in his first half-season in the capital and proceeded to double that tally the following campaign. However, it was during 2007/08 where he really caught the eye, netting 24 times in the league across 36 outings.
Theo Walcott offered Arsenal 12 years of reliable and committed service, forging his name into the club’s history books following his move to north London from Southampton in 2006. He didn’t take long to get up to speed given he was signed at just 16 years old, albeit he never quite reached the lofty standards expected of him.
The speedy winger wound up making 382 appearances for Arsenal, scoring 106 times for the club, with his most prolific campaign arriving in 2012/13. He netted 21 times and produced 11 assists across all competitions, bettering a combined tally of 23 from the previous season.
While silverware wasn’t overly forthcoming during his Arsenal career, Walcott did claim the FA Cup on two separate occasions, even scoring in the 2014/15 final during a 4-0 victory over Aston Villa.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang became Arsenal’s record signing in 2017/18, joining the club for £56m. Naturally, the expectations were sky-high for the former Borussia Dortmund livewire, who had become renowned for his ruthlessness in front of goal and devastating speed.
Those traits swiftly became visible at the Emirates as he provided 14 goals and assists in as many games during his first six months. The Gabon international bettered that tally by some margin the following season, claiming the PREMIER League Golden Boot with 22 strikes.
The goals didn’t dry up in the following campaigns and a timely brace in the 2019/20 FA Cup final against Chelsea secured Arsenal’s most recent piece of major silverware.
A falling out with Mikel Arteta saw his Arsenal career end somewhat prematurely, but he remains one of the club’s most devastating modern-day greats.
This one comes with a small asterisk. Arsenal signed Martin Odegaard permanently during the summer window, but he had initially joined the club on a six-month loan in January 2021.
Having been tipped for superstardom at an incredibly young age, Odegaard’s potential wasn’t enough to secure him regular first-team football at Real Madrid despite several impressive loan spells. A temporary move to the Emirates saw him elevate his game and the Spanish giants were happy to sanction a £30m deal.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Odegaard has gone on to be a transformative figure in the engine room for Arsenal, spearheading the club’s revolution under Arteta. Now captaining the side, his ingenuity, creativity and magical left foot have pushed the Gunners to the cusp of greatness.
The 26-year-old has plenty of time to further adorn his Arsenal legacy.
