da bet7： The transfer window ended quite some time ago, and managers are now stuck with their current squads right up until January. So although the money in the Premier League these days is simply obscene, and with the new TV rights deal firmly in place, we’ve seen some ridiculous spending, there’ll be no more of that until after after Christmas.
da doce： In the summer, however, Arsene Wenger strengthened his squad, spending £96m to bring his squad up to scratch, and barring their opening day defeat to Liverpool, it seems to have worked, with five wins and a draw since that day.
What we want to know, however, isn’t how much Arsenal have spent, but how much they’re worth. And so we’ve been scouring the bible-cum-website of football transfers, TransferMarkt.com in order to get their take on the value of Arsenal’s squad.
They equate transfer fees, wages and length of contract to determine the current market values of individual players, which fluctuate on a regular basis.
And after having looked through Arsenal’s squad, there are some interesting results! Take a look at the ten most valuable players at Arsenal…
10. Santi Cazorla (£17m)
When Arsenal bought Santi Cazorla in August 2012, they did so for around £16m. Arsene Wenger is notorious for refusing to pay over the odds for players. Perhaps that shouldn’t be a bad thing, but Arsenal’s stagnation over the past decade may have had a lot to do with their refusal to spend the money their rivals have been spending.
Santi Cazorla represents a perfect example of Wenger’s philosophy. They bought him at pretty much his market value and even after four years of distinguished service at the club, Cazorla’s resale value is pretty much the same now as what they paid for him – and at £17m, according to TransferMarkt, it’s increased slightly if anything.
9. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (£17m)
One player that Arsene Wenger did, perhaps, pay extra for is Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
He was, however, only 18 years old when Arsenal splashed out nearly £12m to secure his signature from Southampton. Five years later, and Chamberlain’s value has increased, yet he still has a lot of work left before he repays the club in terms of consistent performances.
At 23, though, he has plenty of time to get that right.
8. Shkodran Mustafi (£17m)
Does Shkodran Mustafi’s transfer to Arsenal mark a turning point in Arsene Wenger’s approach to transfers? Or maybe it even points to the final months of his reign in charge at Arsenal. When Sir Alex Ferguson entered into his final season at Manchester United, he signed Robin van Persie for much more than he was probably worth, given his age.
He knew, however, it was what his squad needed to regain the title from Manchester City. Wenger may be in a similar position with Mustafi – spending nearly £35m on the central defender in the final days of the transfer window when his value is about half of that is not a very Wenger thing to do, but he makes the squad undeniably stronger.
7. Laurent Koscielny (£18.7m)
Interestingly, it’s Mustafi’s partner Laurent Koscielny who is the Arsenal defender with the highest market value according to TransferMarkt.
The Frenchman’s performances over the past six years have more than repaid the £11m or so that Wenger spent to take him to the Premier League, and having seen his value rise along with his performance level, Koscielny can be considered a very shrewd purchase indeed.
6. Theo Walcott (£18.7m)
Next on the list is Theo Walcott, who, despite some flakey performances over the past few seasons, looks like he is starting to find some consistent form these days.
That’s a welcome sight, not least because the England international is 26, though he does seem to have been around longer than that.
When he was bought for £9m back in 2006, we probably thought he’d be worth more than nearly £19m at this point – Arsenal fans won’t care if he lives up to his promise this season and delivers the Premier League title back to North London for the first time in the Emirates Stadium era.
5. Olivier Giroud (£21.25m)
Surprisingly, Olivier Giroud is the next player in the list. The Frenchman can often be unfairly criticised for his lack of ability in front of goal, especially considering he gives a lot more to the side than just goals – though it is surely true that Arsenal could do with a different set of skills up front these days.
Still, Giroud’s performances have been enough to earn him a market value of £21.25m, and if Arsenal had spent that sort of money on a striker this summer then perhaps the fans would have been happier.
4. Aaron Ramsey (£29.75m)
Aaron Ramsey has become very quietly one of Arsenal’s outstanding players. He joined the Gunners in 2008 for just under £6m, and in the eight years since then, his value has grown fivefold.
An outstanding performance for Wales at Euro 2016 has no doubt increased his value somewhat, and an outstanding season for Arsenal will really cement his place as one of the most valuable players at the club.
3. Granit Xhaka (£29.75m)
Another one of Arsenal’s big money summer signings, this is another case of Arsene Wenger paying over the odds somewhat for a player – though this one certainly doesn’t compare to the inflation present in the Shkodran Mustafi transfer.
Xhaka is, however, exactly the sort of player that Arsenal needed, and his presence in the team will last for years if he proves his worth over the next few seasons.
2. Mesut Ozil (£42.5m)
Arsene Wenger has never denied that he’d pay good money for a player he felt was worth the punt, and in Mesut Ozil, he’s probably found one.
Still Arsenal’s record signing, Mesut Ozil is arguably still their best player. He has the pedigree, he has the style, and he has the ability to pick a pass no one else even knew was on.
And given his market value is now above the price Wenger paid for him back in 2013, it looks like money well spent.
1. Alexis Sanchez (£46.75m)
Number one on this list is probably the least surprising entry. Whilst we can argue that Mesut Ozil is Arsenal’s best player, your response to our argument may well be that Alexis Sanchez is, in fact, the better player.
Arsenal bought Sanchez from Barcelona in 2014, when his playing time at the Catalan giants was on the wane, but just because he couldn’t get into a team with arguably the greatest forward line in history doesn’t mean he’s not a world class player – and he’s proving that at Arsenal.