Ranking Arsenal’s 11 previous Bundesliga signings: Lehmann, Aubameyang, Xhaka…
Arsenal don’t buy tons of players from Bundesliga clubs – but their hit rate is something to behold. Deciding which one is the best would fry the most objective brains.
As Piero Hincapie prepares to sign from Bayer Leverkusen, we’ve dug out the archives and ranked Arsenal’s Bundesliga signings from worst to best.
We even asked an anonymous friend of the site and Arsenal supporter to adjudicate, showing our dedication to the task at hand.
11. Stefan Malz
We begin with the dictionary definition of ‘forgettable’.
After failing with a £7million bid for Dietmar Hamann, Arsenal looked for a cheaper alternative, signing Malz from 1860 Munich for £650,000.
During his first season at the club, the midfielder scored twice in 11 appearances, including a goal on his debut against Preston in the League Cup.
But he featured just three times as a substitute in the following campaign and subsequently returned to his native Germany with Kaiserslautern.
By the end of his career, Malz was playing in the 11th tier of German football. The list gets much better, we promise.
10. Sokratis Papastathopoulos
Sokratis joined Arsenal in the summer of 2018 after a career that included spells at Milan, Werder Bremen and Borussia Dortmund.
The Greek defender made his debut in a 2-0 loss against Manchester City and became an important part of Unai Emery’s Arsenal, playing 69 times in total.
Trophies were few and far between during that time, but he did win the FA Cup in 2020 with the Gunners before leaving for pastures new.
9. Sead Kolasinac
Kolasinac joined Arsenal on a free transfer from Schalke in 2017 and made a great first impression, scoring an equaliser against Chelsea in the Community Shield.
But the left-back was eventually replaced by Kieran Tierney and was then pushed further down the pecking order following Nuno Tavares’s arrival in 2021.
His most notable moment in England came off the pitch when he fought off knife-wielding carjackers who were trying to steal Mesut Ozil’s car.
8. Bernd Leno
Leno is widely regarded as a fine Premier League goalkeeper at Fulham.
But his record at the Emirates wasn’t anything special – 37 clean sheets and 145 goals conceded in 125 appearances.
The signing from Bayer Leverkusen certainly wasn’t bad, but Mikel Arteta moved ruthlessly to upgrade him with Aaron Ramsdale in 2021 and fierce competition means eighth is Leno’s ceiling here.
7. Alexander Hleb
Slightly forgotten these days, Hleb was an impish and impetuous attacker capable of unlocking the staunchest of defences.
He cost £11.2million from Stuttgart in 2005 and was sold to Barcelona for a tidy profit three years later. Seventh barely does him justice.
READ: A tribute to eternal Arsenal cult hero Alex Hleb, an ugly beauty lost in time
6. Lukas Podolski
Podolski could be immensely frustrating, yet he scored a relatively respectable 31 goals in 82 appearances – and we’d happily believe each and every one of them weren’t 30-yard bangers.
One of those players with the highlights reel of an absolute world-beater, it’s difficult not to love Podolski for what he was capable of unleashing with that left peg.
He was unquestionably worth the £10.9million paid to Koln in 2012 and remains a cult hero with Arsenal supporters.
5. Granit Xhaka
A big-money signing from Borussia Monchengladbach in 2016, Xhaka was subjected to continued abuse from Arsenal fans while he served as captain during the dying days of the Emery era.
The Switzerland midfielder infamously lost his rag after being subbed off during a 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace and told the home supporters to do one with Teutonic oaths.
Unsurprisingly, Xhaka was stripped of the captaincy after the incident. More surprisingly, he went on to stage a stirring revival of his Arsenal career and left as a cult hero four years later.
4. Tomas Rosicky
Rosicky’s career might have produced a good number of highlights, many of them at huge moments for the Gunners, but there’s always been a sense that there could have been more.
But it’s hard to argue with 247 club appearances over 10 years at the Emirates. We do Rosicky further justice in the piece below.
READ: Tomas Rosicky, Arsenal’s big-game hero who could have been even more
3. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Wenger left the ultimate gift for his successor by securing the services of Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund in January 2018.
He helped the Gunners win the first trophy of the post-Wenger era, scoring both goals in the 2020 FA Cup semi-final and final as they overcame Manchester City and Chelsea.
But the striker’s form dovetailed after signing a new contract that summer and things got so bad that he was allowed to leave on a free to Barcelona in January 2022.
Forget the burned bridges; Aubameyang was a Premier League Golden Boot winner and talisman for the Gunners. You could argue that they’ve never properly replaced him.
2. Jens Lehmann
The only German to win a Premier League title with Arsenal (until Kai Havertz pulls his finger out), and what a way to do it.
Mad Jens’ featured in all 38 games as Arsenal went unbeaten in his debut season, ensuring that his legacy would remain intact forever.
He was far from perfect – that red card in the 2006 Champions League final will sting forever – but he was exceptional at his best and played a starring role in the greatest season in Arsenal’s history.
1. Per Mertesacker
Signed just after the 8-2 pasting at Old Trafford, Mertesacker steadied the ship and made 221 club appearances through to the end of Arsene Wenger’s reign.
The signing from Borussia Dortmund is now the manager of Arsenal’s academy, meaning you can’t claim the club hasn’t got its money’s worth from the £8million transfer fee.
Also, he’s the Big F*cking German. Enough said.
READ NEXT: 15 Arsenal signings who were meant to be the business… but weren’t
TRY A QUIZ: Can you name Arsenal’s 25 most expensive signings in history?