5 bargain Arsenal players who had no business being as great as they were

Throughout history, Arsenal have not been known to spend over the odds for players. In fact, during the Arsene Wenger era, they were known to be bargain-hunters. However, this only made their transfer business all the more impressive when players exceeded expectations. That said, here are 5 bargain Arsenal players who had no business being as great as they were...

5 bargain Arsenal players who had no business being as great as they were

1. Gabriel Martinelli

Starting off with a more recent example, Gabriel Martinelli completely exceeded all expectations in an Arsenal shirt. Signed from Ituano in 2019 for just £6m (GOAL, 2019), Gabriel Martinelli went on to become one of the best wingers in the Premier League.

Breaking through under Unai Emery but truly handed a pedestal under Mikel Arteta, Martinelli has multiplied his market value exponentially. Not that Arsenal want to sell him anytime soon, obviously...

2. Aaron Ramsey

Aaron Ramsey is a player who is well respected by Arsenal fans for his tremendous legacy. The Welshman who devoted himself to the club despite interest from rivals Manchester United was one of the stars of the Arsene Wenger era.

Considering Ramsey was signed for just £5m (BBC, 2008), it is remarkable to consider the club legend he became.

3. Robin van Persie

Signed for just £2.75m in 2004, Robin van Persie soon became one of the best strikers in the world and proved himself as the greatest Arsenal striker of the Emirates Stadium era.

It is unfortunate the manner in which he left Arsenal but nobody can deny how the Dutch international transcended all expectations and proved himself to be one of the greatest bargain signings in history.

4. Kolo Toure

Kolo Toure is one of the rare examples of a player who played across England and Scotland but is remembered fondly by every club he represented. He certainly cemented himself into the Arsenal history books as he was a key member of the Arsenal Invincibles, forming a great relationship with Sol Campbell.

Toure was signed for an astonishingly small fee of £150k from ASEC Mimosas in 2002. Incredible business from Arsene Wenger.

5. Patrick Vieira

Considering he struggled to get into the AC Milan starting lineup, the expectation was not quite up there with Patrick Vieira. However, when he arrived at Highbury in 1996, he was an instant success.

READ MORE: The 13 players who played for Arsenal and Man City

Despite not having much optimism attached to his time, Vieira became club captain and of course, like Toure, won the golden Premier League trophy.