TEN years ago Arsenal were in the midst of a summer overhaul after Arsene Wenger sold star players Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri.And a decade later the Gunners are yet again in the middle of a squad shake-up with Mikel Arteta looking to assemble a side capable of breaking into the top four.
Arsenal sold Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas for a combined fee of £55million in 2011Credit: Times Newspapers Ltd
The Spaniard was one of 11 players brought into the Emirates during the 2011-12 season.
Arsenal had recouped £55million after offloading Fabregas to Barcelona for £30m, while Nasri linked up with Manchester City for £25m.
Here SunSport takes a look at all the players the North London outfit splashed the cash on using the money from those two key departures.
Carl Jenkinson – £1m
The Gunners signed defender Carl Jenkinson from Charlton for £1m a decade agoCredit: Arsenal FC – Getty
After nine appearances for Charlton in the 2010-11 campaign, the Gunners signed the right-back to provide competition for Bacary Sagna.
And he got off to the worst possible start after a nightmare own goal on his debut in the 2-1 pre-season victory against Cologne.
But he endeared himself to the Arsenal fans with his tireless work-rate and commitment.
He finally left his beloved club in 2019 when he was sold to Nottingham Forest having won the FA Cup in 2014 while also featuring 70 times in all competitions.
Total spent – £1m
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Hector Bellerin and Jon Toral – £750,000
Spanish pair Jon Toral and Hector Bellerin linked up with Arsenal’s academy in 2011 from BarcelonaCredit: Getty – Contributor
The duo linked up with Arsenal on July 1, 2011, from Barcelona to join the club’s academy.
Spanish full-back Bellerin completed a £450k fee to England, while central midfielder Toral was signed for £300k.
Toral failed to feature for the first team, with the player enjoying loan spells at Brentford, Birmingham, Granada and Rangers before being sold to Hull in 2017.
His close friend and compatriot Bellerin has fared better at Arsenal, with the defender appearing in 239 games, while winning six major honours.
However his time in the Premier League could be soon coming to an end with Inter Milan understood to be keen to bring him to Italy.
Total spent – £1.75m
Gervinho – £10.5m
Gervinho lasted just two seasons at the Emirates before Serie A side Roma signed himCredit: Alan Walter – The Times
The Ivorian winger came to Arsenal with high expectations after helping Lille win the Ligue 1 title.
But his career got off to a terrible start after being shown a straight red card for slapping Newcastle midfielder Joey Barton on his Premier League debut.
He lasted just two years before being offloaded to Roma, with the forward scoring just 11 goals in 63 games.
Gervinho will go down as one of Arsenal’s worst players of the 21st century.
Total spent – £12.25m
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – £12m
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain spent six years in North London before joining LiverpoolCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd
Arsenal fended off competition from Manchester United to land the exciting teenager from Southampton in early August.
He lasted six years at the Emirates before Liverpool snapped him up for £35m in 2017.
In total, Chamberlain, who played as a winger, wing-back and central midfielder, chipped in with just 20 goals in 198 outings.
He won six trophies at Arsenal, including the 2015 Community Shield victory over Chelsea where he scored the game’s only goal.
Total spent – £24.25m
Joel Campbell – 900k
Joel Campbell made his debut for Arsenal in the 2014 Community Shield win over Manchester CityCredit: PA:Press Association
The Costa Rican winger arrived from Deportivo Saprissa as a player for the future.
After being unable to secure a work permit until 2013, he was sent off on loan to Lorient, Real Betis and Olympiacos before finally making his Gunners debut in the 2014 Community Shield triumph.
A successful 2015-16 campaign saw him score four goals in 30 games, but to the dismay of supporters, Wenger surprisingly shipped him off to Sporting Lisbon and Betis on loan.
His time at Arsenal came to an end in 2018 after he joined then-Serie A side Frosinone on a permanent deal.
Total spent – £25.15m
Park Chu-young – £3m
South Korean striker Park Chu-young scored once in just seven games for ArsenalCredit: AP:Associated Press
A truly bizarre signing, Arsenal pipped Lille to the South Korean’s signature from Monaco on August 30.
He was even given the famous No9 jersey, but he played just once in the Premier League, with his only goal coming in a League Cup win over Bolton in October 2011.
After just seven games in three years, he was released in 2014 where he then joined Saudi Arabian giants Al-Shabab.
Total spent – £28.15m
Andre Santos – £6.2m
Left-back Andre Santos scored three goals in 33 games for the North London outfitCredit: AP:Associated Press
The Brazilian joined from Fenerbahce to compete with Kieran Gibbs for the starting left-back position after Gael Clichy left for the Etihad.
And despite putting in a number of woeful appearances, he starred in two of Arsenal’s most dramatic games in his opening season.
Santos scored a memorable equaliser in the eventual 5-3 win against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, before firing in from range in the 3-2 victory over West Brom to secure Arsenal third spot on the final day of the campaign.
He left in 2013 to return to his native Brazil to join Flamengo.
Total spent – £34.35m
Per Mertesacker – £8m
Arsenal finally managed to bring in the giant German on August 31 from Werder Bremen.
And the towering centre-half formed a formidable partnership at the back with Laurent Koscielny.
Mertesacker won three FA Cups, where he scored in the 2015 final vs Aston Villa, before being named man of the match two years later with a monstrous performance against Chelsea – only his second appearance that season.
He retired at the Emirates in 2018 after 221 games, with Mertesacker now Arsenal’s Academy manager.
Total spent – £42.35m
Mikel Arteta – £10m
Mikel Arteta and Per Mertesacker joined Arsenal on deadline day in 2011Credit: Bongarts – Getty
The ex-Paris Saint-Germain midfielder joined in a dramatic late move from Everton on deadline day in 2011.
And he was instantly tasked with playing in a deeper role under Wenger, with the Spaniard thriving in North London under the tutelage of the Frenchman.
Arteta retired at Arsenal in 2016 as captain after helping Arsenal finish second in the Premier League – their highest position since 2005.
After moving to the Citizens to become Pep Guardiola’s assistant coach, he returned to Arsenal in December 2019 to replace Unai Emery as the club’s manager.
Total spent – £52.35m
Thomas Eisfeld – £420k
German midfielder Thomas Eisfeld made the move to England in the winter transfer windowCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd
The young German arrived from Borussia Dortmund in January 2012 to link up with Arsenal’s reserves.
He appeared in just two games for the first team, with Eisfeld scoring against West Brom in a League Cup tie win over West Brom in September 2013.
After struggling to make his mark, he left for Fulham in 2014.
Total spent – £52.77m
And a fifth of Lukas Podolski…
Lukas Podolski was part of the side that ended Arsenal’s nine-year trophy doubt in 2014Credit: Reuters
With 2.23m left over from the sales of Fabregas and Nasri, Arsenal forked out £10.9m on Lukas Podolski from Cologne in 2012.
The Gunners agreed a deal with the German side in March 2012, with the forward linking up with the club after the 2012-13 season.
Podolski spent three years in London where he became a firm fan favourite after scoring 31 goals in 82 games.
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