Arsenal: It’s impossible to decide who the best summer signing was

Arsenal did a lot of business last summer, and now that the first season is winding down, we can start talking about who was the best. But… who was?

Arsenal did a lot of astute business going into this new era at the club. They gave Unai Emery plenty of resources to fill the gaps that were left to him by Arsene Wenger, and they did it all in a remarkably budget-friendly way, as has become the necessity in recent years.

Stephan Lichtsteiner came for free, Matteo Guendouzi for around £12m, Sokratis for around £17m and Lucas Torreira as the main purchase for around £23m. Each player has had their part to play this year, and now that we are nearing the end of the season, we can start having the discussion regarding who the most impactful signing was.

Obviously we can rule out Stephan Lichtsteiner. While I don’t think he has been nearly as bad as some people say, he hasn’t made a huge impact, though, coming for free, we didn’t exactly lose out on any thing either. Plus he’s been a nice presence to have, given his experience.

Which leaves Guendouzi, Sokratis and Torreira and I challenge anyone to conclusively say one way or the other who the most impactful has been, because they’ve been three of the most positive performers this year.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win

Sokratis, originally dismissed as not worth it, has been fantastic next to Laurent Koscielny. He’s been the exact type of defender we’ve needed and his only fault has been that there isn’t more of him to go around. This defense needed a lot of help, and Sokratis alone was never going to fix that, but the leaps and bounds he has made alongside Koscielny have been remarkable.

And then there is Torreira, who was originally seen as the biggest capture, and not just for the transfer fee. He is the exact type of player that we needed, the N’Golo Kante type (and the comparisons came right away). He tapered off a little lately, but you have to cut him some slack, as he was heavily involved in the World Cup over the summer and the Premier League is no a forgiving competition.

Finally, Matteo Guendouzi, who is without a doubt a massive signing for the future, as well as one of the few bright spots when things seem dark. His versatility has been fantastic, and the fact that he has earned his spot in the starting XI this season, and been given nothing, is just a testament to his present ability.

It’s so hard to choose a winner, but if I absolutely had to (which I don’t, I’m forcing myself to), I would have to say that for the here and now, Sokratis has been the most impactful, but for the future, Guendouzi is the undisputed champ. But all three of these guys have been fantastic, and the club deserves massive credit for their business last summer.