From Patrick Vieira to Thierry Henry, Arsene Wenger made some sensational signings during his early spell at Arsenal.
But fans often question Wenger’s transfer policy towards the end of his reign. And in fɑct, how did the last 10 deals of the French legend for the Gunners perform?
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Wenger left a final gift to his successor when he brought in Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund in January 2018. He helped the Gunners win their first title in the post-Wenger era, scoring both goals in the match. 2020 FA Cup semi-final and final as they beɑt Manchester City and Chelsea.
But the striker’s form declined after signing a new contract and things got so bad that he was allowed to move to Barcelona on a free form in January 2022. Aubameyang has scored 13 goals in 24 appearances. for the La Liga giants, but was quickly replaced by Robert Lewandowski, and spent the previous season at Chelsea.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan
Mkhitaryan moved to Arsenal as part of a swap deal that brought Alexis Sanchez to Manchester United in January 2018.
Despite scoring a hat-trick of assists on his debut, he was unable to fill the void left by Sanchez’s departure and then struggled under Unai Emery. The Armenia international joined Roma on loan in 2019 before officially leaving at the end of the season. Mkhitaryan joined Inter last summer, and has scored five goals in 49 appearances for the Nerazzurri.
Constantine Mavropanos
Mavropanos arrived from PAS Giannina for around £1.8m in January 2018 but has struggled to squeeze into the squad, making just eight appearances for Arsenal. The defender is currently playing for the Bundesliga team Stuttgart.
Alexandre Lacazette
Lacazette joined Arsenal in a £46m deal but has struggled to replicate his form at Lyon. The striker still boasts a respectable record of 71 goals and 36 assists in 206 appearances, and won Arsenal’s Player of the Year award for 2018/19, but he still left the Gunners in at the end of the 2021/2022 season when the contract expires, back to Lyon. He scored 31 goals last season.
Sead Kolasinac
Kolasinac joined Arsenal on a free transfer in 2017 and made a great first impression when he scored the equalizer against Chelsea in the Community Shield.
But he was eventually replaced by Kieran Tierney and then further lost his position after the arrival of Nuno Tavares. He joined Atalanta.
Cohen Bramall
Bramall made the leap from the first division to the Premier League when he moved from Hednesford Town to Arsenal in January 2017. The left-back played for the Under-23s but never made a first-team debut for the Gunners and left in five years. 2019. Bramall currently plays in the Championship with Rotherham United.
Shkodran Mustafi
Mustafi won two FA Cups and made over 150 appearances for Arsenal but his time at the Emirates is best remembered for his disɑstrous moments. The centre-back was allowed to join Schalke on a free transfer in February 2021, but he made just 13 appearances for the club and was released after their relegation.
He then decided to return to La Liga with Levante but played in Spain’s second division last season after being relegated. He is currently a free agent.
Lucas Perez
After a 17-goal season in La Liga, Perez left Deportivo La Coruna and completed a £17.1m move to Arsenal in the summer of 2016.
Despite a hat-trick in the Champions League win over Basel, he barely had a chance under Wenger and was loaned out to Deportivo in 2017. Perez returned to Deportivo after a nomadic journey.
Kelechi Nwakali
Nwakali signed for Arsenal in August 2016, playing a key role in Nigeria’s victory at the Under-17 World Cup the year before.
The midfielder spent loan spells at VVV-Venlo, MVV Maastricht and Porto but failed to make a big impact and left the Gunners in 2019. He then moved to Spain’s Huesca and is currently at Ponferradina, against Mustafi’s Levante in the Spanish Second Division.
Rob Holding
Despite being relegated with Bolton, Holding played well enough to secure a £2m move to Arsenal in 2016.
Holding starred in the 2017 FA Cup final win over Chelsea but suffered a couple of years of injury. This is the only person on this list who is still at Emirates, although not in a strong position in the squad.