Arsenal: History-changing price of Bernd Leno and Lucas Torreira

Arsenal have signed Bernd Leno for approximately £20 million. They are also set to sign Lucas Torreira for £26 million. They are history-changing prices. Here’s why.

Prior to this summer, do you know who Arsenal’s seventh-most expensive signing is? No, I didn’t either. But per Transfermarkt, it is Calum Chambers, who was signed for approximately £18 million. The sixth-most expensive signing was Shkodran Mustafi, for double that amount at £36 million.

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Before this summer transfer window, the Gunners had never signed a player for between £20 and £30 million.

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Contrast that to the players that Manchester City have signed for fees between £20 and £30 million, in order of cheapest to most expensive: Aleksandar Kolarov; Jo; Alvaro Negredo; Stevan Jovetic; Ilkay Gundogan; Joleon Lescott; Samir Nasri; David Silva; Carlos Tevez; Emmanuel Adebayor; Mario Balotelli; Danilo; Yaya Toure; Eliaquim Mangala; Gabriel Jesus; Wilfried Bony.

Some of these clearly did not work out and City have had plenty more rolls of the dice to get these type of signings right. But the bedrock of many of their titles is a part of this price range — Silva, Toure, Nasri, Gabriel Jesus.

Similarly, these are the players that Chelsea have signed for between £20 and £30 million, again, in order of cheapest to most expensive: Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink; Marcos Alonso; Damien Duff; Davide Zappacosta; David Luiz; Nemanja Matic; Hernan Crespo; Juan Mata; Pedro; Ricardo Carvalho; Juan Cuadrado; Shaun Wright-Phillips; Oscar; Cesc Fabregas.

Again, there are some misses in there. But also, Chelsea have enjoyed great success because of many of these players — Alonso, Luiz, Matic, Mata, Pedro, Carvalho, Oscar, Fabregas.

Spending wisely between £20 and £30 million is how consistently successful squads are built. Arsenal have done that whatsoever in their history. Literally. They haven’t signed one player between £20 and £30 million. Until now, that is.

The Gunners have already confirmed the addition of goalkeeper Bernd Leno, for an approximate fee of £20 million — Transfermarkt has the fee at £22.5 million –, and they are set to sign Sampdoria midfielder Lucas Torreira for a reported £26 million. These are the type of players on which sustenance and success can be founded.

Up until this point, Arsenal have tended to supplement a few star players with lesser role players. It hasn’t really worked. While the likes of Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and now Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang may have spectacular talent, they can be isolated and unsupported by those around them. It is these £20 – £30 million players that arrive and then grow and develop that can round out a squad.

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In Torreira and Leno, that is precisely what the Gunners are doing. These are history-changing prices.