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[size=1.5em]Honourable mentions: Patrick Vieria In: ￡3.5m Out: ￡13.5m 
I know, I hear what you are saying, even though I am not there. I hear you loud and clear; “How the hell is Vieria not in your list?” Well to be honest, the main reason is it is a bit of a grey area. Patrick Vieria was signed in August of 1996 whilst Wenger was only appointed the manager of Arsenal at the end of September in the same year. Although it is clear that Wenger had some influence in the transfer and it was certainly a recommendation, it is difficult to give him full credit as he was not even in the job in the first place. So for this reason I have refrained from adding him. I shall leave you to speculate as to where he may have been if he had been included.
Samir Nasri, Gael Clichy and Emmanuel Adebayor AKA the Cash Cow I will not go into detail with each transfer but only will say that as well as getting good quality players for relatively small amounts, Arsene Wenger was able to sell them on and make lots of profit. In fact around ￡30m at a very low estimate.
The Top Ten:10: Kolo Toure – In: 150k Out: 16m 
Kolo Toure had a fantastic career as an Arsenal player, though on his debut he played as a right midfielder he was a utility player that didn’t seem to have any real position. This changed over time and he became a fantastic defender and forged a superb partnership with Sol Campbell. Was very successful and was at the heart of the defence in the Invincible’s season. Though he fell out with future partner William Gallas which eventually saw him leave the club, he was sold for a huge profit and at a time when he became surplus to requirements. This is a great example of how Wenger sold on a player when the time was right as his career after Arsenal has improved.
9: Emmanuel Petit – In: 2.5m Out: 5m 
Emmanuel Petit was one of Wenger’s first signings and he immediately played an important part in securing Arsenal’s first league title for nearly 10 years. He was instrumental in the centre of the park and at the time I felt he was just as important for Arsenal as Patrick Vieria. He provided the platform to which Viera could surge forward and Arsenal’s new found pace could exploit teams with tremendous pace and incision. Without the solid foundation Petit along with the defence provided it would have been impossible for Arsenal to be successful in the league run of 1997/1998. He was also sold on for a profit of 100% despite being in his thirties when he left. Whilst it was seen as a major blow for Arsenal, his life after Arsenal proved that Arsene Wenger had in fact moved him on at the right time and for great profit. Another Wenger master class.
8: Sol Campbell – Free Transfer (First time) 
Big Sol, perhaps the most controversial of all of Arsene Wenger’s buy’s, was at the time one of the top defenders in world football. He was bought from arch nemesis and neighbour, Tottenham for a free transfer and he had an immediate impact. He formed a fantastic partnership with Kolo Toure and was at the heart of the side that remained unbeaten for an entire season. He was able to fit into the team immediately and went on to win two league titles, three FA cups and two charity shields. He also won some individual honours during his time at Arsenal as he was in the PFA team of the year three times and both the FIFA and UEFA equivalent’s one time each. Include the fact that this was a free transfer and Arsenal managed to get their biggest rival’s player for free this was a great bit of business for the manager.
7: Fredrik Ljunberg – In: ￡3m Out: ￡3m 
Fredrik Ljunberg is a perfect example of Arsene Wenger’s brilliance in the transfer market. He was bought for a small fee, was relatively unknown by the entire country but was able to make an almost immediate impact. He was very quick out of the blocks and had a knack to be in the right place at the right time to score goals of which he scored 71 from just over 300 appearances. Not bad for a midfielder. Add that many of them were scored against Manchester United at the height of the rivalry, then it is no wonder that he is held in such high regard from Arsenal fans. He helped Arsenal to 5 major trophies 2 of which were the Premier League titles all of which equal him being a fantastic signing.
6: Nicolas Anelka In: ￡500k Out: ￡22.5m 
Though not at Arsenal for very long or even at his peak years, Arsene Wenger found his first young star in Nicolas Anelka. Bought for ￡500k and just a teen, it was widely expected that this would be one for the future and especially with the then all time record score and Arsenal legend that Anelka would not get anywhere near the team. This theory was thrown out of the window as Anelka took the Premier League by storm. He suited Arsenal’s new attacking style and was very successful in his short spell. He managed to score 23 goals in 50 league appearances, which is quite staggering for anyone let alone a teenager new to the Premier League. What makes this transfer so great is the massive returns on the player. He was sold after winning his first Premier League winners medal for a mammoth ￡22.5m to Real Madrid. Although this was hard to take for many Arsenal fans it essentially funded the purchases of Henry, Sylvinho and Lauren which represented fantastic business again by Wenger.
5: Marc Overmars In: ￡7m Out: ￡25m 
Marc Overmars arrived from Ajax after already winning 3 league titles in a relatively short career. This was soon added to as Overmars was an immediate success for Arsenal and managed to win the double in just his first season. He continued Arsene Wenger’s evolution of the club adding his blistering pace and sublime finishing to an already accomplished side. He may have not lasted long but given his incredible scoring record, particularly in big games, he remains a fan favourite to this day. Couple this with the fact that he essentially made the club well over 200% profit from his transfer, it is a great signing by any stretch. To make things even sweeter for the Arsenal faithful his transfer facilitated the moves for Robert Pires, Sylvain Wiltord and the reliable Lauren. Overall a fantastic signing with good business that followed. | 
Post time 17-5-2012 05:17 PM
