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Arsenal’s 10 Best Signings Ever Under Arsene Wenger
By Josh Sippie
Honorable Mentions
The first honorable mention goes to Olivier Giroud. I had him sitting at No. 10 on the list for the longest time, but I chickened out and moved him into the honorable mentions. You’re welcome.
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Consider what Olivier Giroud was/is/has done.
We lost RVP, the man through which this team maintained relevance. The replacement was a slow Frenchman. But what has Olivier Giroud done? He has kept Arsenal relevant and scored goals.
And for what price? Arsene Wenger paid just £9.6 million for Olivier Giroud. £9.6 million for the goals that he puts up. Let’s put that in perspective. Steven Fletcher was bought by Sunderland that year for £12 million. He has scored 23 goals in 86 appearances since that time.
Fabio Borini was also bought for £10.5 million. Aside from slowly dropping in relevance, he has only managed nine goals.
Wilfried Bony was seen as a brilliant purchase by Swansea City in 2013. £12 million. He would go on to score 34 goals in his first two years there. He was then sold for £25 million to Manchester City.
Arsenal FC
Giroud scored 39 goals in his first two years.
Whether we like it or not, Olivier Giroud was a really shrewd purchase that has tided Arsenal over during some off years. Disagree? Leave a comment.
No other honorable mentions will get that big of a blurb. Alexis Sanchez is an honorable mention. He was bought for a small fortune and he has exceeded even that. He single-handedly carried the team in his first year. But given his short time at the club thus far, it is hard to fit him into a top ten full of long-time Gunners.
Mesut Ozil and Petr Cech are honorable mentions as well. Both have provided Arsenal with some much-needed assets. But again, tenure is a factor.
Nicholas Anelka deserves a shout but he left before his best years, so I left him off the list.
With that out of the way and Olivier Giroud safely out of the top ten, we get into the numbered rankings, starting at No. 10 (hint: it’s not Olivier Giroud).
Next: Number 10