10 biggest transfer fees received by Arsenal – and how they fared afterwards
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With less than two weeks of the January transfer window to go, Arsenal are still waiting for their first winter arrival.
Despite reports that a deal for Dusan Vlahovic are nearing a conclusion, the Gunners are still yet to acquire the 21-year-old and face competition from Serie A giants Juventus for his signature.
Mikel Arteta is in desperate need of a forward with AWOL ex-captain Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang unlikely to feature for Arsenal again.
Elsewhere, Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah will both see their current deals expire at the end of the season and there are no signs that either will be afforded a new contract.
And while the Gunners boss is rightfully concerned with bringing in the desired quality up-front, he might want to keep one eye over his shoulder for any players seeking a way out of the club.
In recent years, the last few days of the transfer window have seen Arsenal lose some of their biggest stars with Alexis Sanchez, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Mezut Ozil all moving on with less than a week of the window to go.
And with the success some of these stars have had since leaving north London, Arteta might want to lock the gates at London Colney until February 1st.
Daily Star Sport brings you the 10 biggest transfer fees Arsenal have received and how the players fared at their new clubs…
10. Samir Nasri to Manchester City (2011) – £24.8m
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After three seasons with the Gunners, Samir Nasri opted to join high-flying Manchester City in the summer of 2011, leaving Arsenal fans fuming with his "club of the future" comments.
The Frenchman made an instant impression in the northwest, providing three assists on his debut as the Cityzens comfortably dispatched Tottenham 5-1.
Now a two-time Premier League winner with Man City, perhaps Nasri was wrong after all with his "club of the future comments" – the Cityzens were a club of the present.
Arsenal reinvested Nasri's transfer fee in Gervinho, Andre Santos and Chu-young Park – money well spent.
9. Emmanuel Adebayor to Manchester City (2009) – £26.1m
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Another one that riled up the Arsenal faithful with his move to Manchester City, Adebayor though was less successful than Nazri when making the switch to the Etihad Stadium.
By leaving Manchester at the start of the 2011/12 season, the Togo international failed to clinch a Premier League winners medal but did record success in Spain with a loan move to Real Madrid in the previous campaign.
The former Arsenal forward then committed a far worse crime than a tormenting knee slide by signing for north London rivals Tottenham on a season-long loan.
Ending an unsuccessful spell at Man City, Adebayor was flogged to Spurs in a permanent move at the end of the campaign.
8. Marc Overmars to Barcelona (2000) – £26.4m
In an attempt to claim their title back from Deportivo La Coruna, Barcelona completed the double swoop of Marc Overmars and Emmanuel Petit from Arsenal in the summer of 2000.
But in his four-year stay in Cataluyna, Overmars was unable to record a single crown; the Catalan giants fell drastically short domestically and in Europe.
Trophyless and frustrated, the Dutchman retired from professional football in 2004 due to a persistent knee injury.
Meanwhile, in his absence, Arsenal recorded the double in 2001/02 and the only ever 'invincibles' Premier League crown in history.
7. Joe Willock to Newcastle (2021) – £26.5m
A sizzling loan spell at Newcastle United at the back of last season saw the Magpies fork out £26.5 million to make Willock's move permanent at the start of the season.
Recording eight goals in 14 top-flight matches, the 22-year-old is yet to hit the same heights on Tyneside this campaign.
Willock has failed to net in any of his 16 appearances this season as lowly Newcastle aim to beat the drop by splashing the cash.
The Magpies aren't quite battling Arsenal for a place in Europe at the moment, but with the new Saudi-led owner's spendthrift attitude it might not be long before they're challenging at the top end of the table.
6. Alex Iwobi to Everton (2019) – £27.4m
Once tipped as the next big star from the Arsenal academy, Iwobi sealed a £27.4m exit from north London in 2019 by penning a five-year contract with Everton.
Netting just once in each of the past two seasons, his Premier League pedigree has dwindled somewhat with the Nigerian's belting goal in the 2019 Europa League final a distant memory.
Capped 53 times by the Super Eagles, Iwobi is currently away on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations.
A much-needed break from a horrific season at Goodison Park, the 25-year-old will have a new boss to impress on his return.
5. Robin van Persie to Manchester United (2012) – £27.7m
Known as the signing that helped Manchester United regain their title, Robin van Persie claimed his sole top-flight crown after moving north in 2012.
And while Arsenal were shrewder in the transfer market than they were with Nazri's replacements, the signings of Olivier Giroud, Lukas Podolski and Santi Cazorla could only seal a fourth-placed finish.
However, van Persie's glorious first season in Manchester could not be replicated after the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson and the Netherlands star sealed a £3.8m move to Fenerbache in 2015.
4. Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona (2011) – £30.6m
This one hurt.
Leaving in the same summer as Samir Nazi, Arsenal's creative force was ripped apart in the space of nine days as captain Fabregas sealed a switch to the Camp Nou.
But unlike Overmars, this move to Catalunya proved far more successful.
Spending three years at Barca, the Spaniard claimed one La Liga title and a Copa Del Rey crown before infuriating Arsenal fans even further by signing for London rivals Chelsea in 2014.
3. Alexis Sanchez to Manchester United (2018) – £30.6m
A late 2018 January swap deal saw Alex Sanchez leave Arsenal for Old Trafford, with Henrik Mkhitaryan heading in the opposite direction.
The Chilean had lit up the Emirates during his three-and-a-half-year spell, helping the Gunners to two FA Cups by scoring in both the 2015 and 2017 finals.
But his time in Manchester can only be described as nothing less than a disaster.
Just three Premier League goals in 32 appearances saw the Red Devils ship Sanchez out on loan to Inter Milan in the summer of 2019, before Chile's all-time top scorer sealed a permanent switch to the San Siro the season after.
2. Nicolas Anelka to Real Madrid (1999) – £31.5m
Part of Arsenal's 1998 double-winning side, Anelka flopped in his only season at Real Madrid after making a mega-money move to the Santiago Bernabeu.
It took the Le Chesnay-born forward seven months to score his first goal in La Liga, netting the second as Los Blancos recorded a famous 3-0 victory over El Clasico rivals Barcelona.
And while Real slumped to a fifth finish in the league, Anelka would still walk away from the Spanish capital with some silverware.
The Frenchman claimed a Champions League medal for his part in Los Blancos' 3-0 win over Valencia.
1. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to Liverpool (2017) – £34.2m
After six years in north London, Oxlade-Chamberlain was the subject of a £34.2 million bid from Liverpool and penned a long-term deal at Anfield in 2017.
Despite struggling with injuries and spending a serious amount of time on the sidelines, the England international is now a Premier League and Champions League winner.
As well as playing under one of the best managers in world football, Oxlade-Chamberlain can also count Super Cup and Club World Cup crowns in his collection.
- Arsenal FC
- Liverpool FC
- Barcelona FC
- Real Madrid FC
- Newcastle United FC
- Everton FC
- Manchester United FC
- Manchester City FC
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