Every signing Arsenal made under Edu Gaspar ranked from worst to best
Edu Gaspar made 34 signings in total while working as technical director and later sporting director at Arsenal, but how have they fared?
The Brazilian will vacate his post as the club’s sporting director after over five years in the job, where he has been instrumental alongside Mikel Arteta in reviving Arsenal. An Invincible with the Gunners in 2003-04, Edu’s work has been key in bringing Arsenal back among Europe’s elite clubs.
We’ve taken a look at every single first-team signing the club has made under his watch since the summer of 2019 and ranked them from worst to best.
34. Nicolas Pepe
£72million of the King’s finest. No explanation needed.
33. David Luiz
Arsenal paid rivals Chelsea £8million for Luiz, for the Brazilian to be a cornerstone in the final chapters of their banter era.
Things got better almost immediately after he left. Says it all. Fleeced.
32. Willian
Willian gets in just ahead of Luiz on the basis that he signed on a free transfer and only stunk out the Emirates for one season, not two.
31. Fabio Vieira
The most modern-day pub quiz answer footballer we can think of. Does he even exist?
He must do – Arsenal paid Porto £29.9million for him back in 2022. He was unfortunate with injuries, but never looked up for it.
30. Runar Alex Runarsson
Signed in 2020, Runarsson was always set to be a backup, but never really impressed when thrust into the first-team in place of Bernd Leno and it quickly became apparent that he wasn’t at the required level.
After several loans away, he finally left the club permanently in 2024 after being released. A bit of a stinker.
29. Albert Sambi Lokonga
It felt like a smart signing at the time in 2021, but Lokonga never managed to prove he was worth the £17.2million Arsenal paid Anderlecht for his potential.
Not in north London, anyway. He’s now on his third loan away from the club at Sevilla, who have an option to buy for £10million. Not the worst loss, but not a great deal.
28. Pablo Mari
Six months after heading to Brazil to sign for Flamengo, Arsenal loaned in Pablo Mari in January 2020, before making the deal permanent the following summer for around £12million.
He quickly became surplus to requirements and left the club permanently in May 2023. We’re not sure why his deal was made permanent.
27. Cedric Soares
A similar deal to Mari, Cedric arrived on a free transfer after an initial loan from Southampton, but we’re still not sure exactly why.
He finally left this summer, but was surplus to requirements long before that and was basically a spare part for no real reason. Sorry, Cedric. You deserved better.
26. Auston Trusty
Signed in January 2022, arrived that July and was immediately loaned to Birmingham; sold to Sheffield United the following summer.
Arsenal made a quick profit on Trusty, so it wasn’t a terrible deal finances-wise, but did he ever even see the inside of the changing rooms at London Colney?
25. Nuno Tavares
Signed in the same summer as Lokonga, Arsenal were doing their best to recruit hidden gems and untapped potential.
Tavares didn’t really work out, but only cost £8million back in 2021 and is currently flying on loan at Lazio. He’ll either return to the club or – more realistically – earn them a nice enough transfer fee.
24. Marquinhos
Not that one.
The Brazilian winger is still on the books at Arsenal and is still only 21, but now on his third loan away from the club and back in Brazil with Fluminense, a breakthrough at the Emirates feels unlikely.
A low-risk signing who will probably earn them a bit of money in a transfer away. Not a disaster.
23. Thomas Partey
Arsenal paid £45million for Partey in 2020.
His on-pitch efforts are adequate. For legal reasons, we’ll say nothing more. Probably shouldn’t be on this list at all.
22. Neto
Middle of the pack feels about right for the Brazilian stopper. Neto was loaned in from Bournemouth to provide backup.
It’s unlikely he’ll pull up any trees, but he’s inoffensive, affordable and there to do a job.
21. Jakub Kiwior
Arsenal spent £20million or so on the left-back from Spezia in January 2023 and while he’s been serviceable, he’s yet to amount to anything more than a rotation option.
However, he’s only 24, happy to be a squad player, isn’t costing them a fortune and can be relied upon when Mikel Arteta needs to rotate. Fine by us.
20. Kieran Tierney
He could’ve – and perhaps should’ve – been much higher up this ranking, but injuries have sadly ravaged Tierney who just cannot stay fit.
A brilliant signing when he first arrived from Celtic in 2020, the Scottish full-back was at one point crucial to Arteta and looked key to any Arsenal revival.
Tierney hasn’t been in the fold since 2022-23 when he was replaced by Oleksandr Zinchenko, spent an injury-hit season on loan at Real Sociedad and is now on the sidelines once again. A real shame, because he looked the part early on.
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19. Dani Ceballos
Ceballos’ first loan to Arsenal in 2019-20 was impressive and one of the first pieces of business Edu put his name against. After an influential season, they managed to secure him once again for the 2020-21 campaign.
However, the Spaniard didn’t stay after that and has since become a reliable squad option at Real Madrid. A strong impact, but also a player they missed out on. Probably should’ve pushed for a permanent deal.
18. Aaron Ramsdale
Arsenal were criticised when they spent £30million on relegated Ramsdale from Sheffield United in 2021, but it worked – sort of.
The English stopper was an upgrade on Bernd Leno and did allow Arteta to better implement his style of play, but ultimately you get what you pay for and errors began to show that Arsenal outgrew him quickly after a strong first season.
He’s been sold to Southampton for £25million, though, so Arsenal did well to recoup most of the fee.
17. Raheem Sterling
Another one in the middle of the pack, Sterling has only just joined Arsenal and did so at the death in the summer transfer window.
Time will tell how his first season goes. He’s brilliant on his day and he’s only on loan, so the risk is low, but it does feel like a bit of a marriage of convenience.
16. Takehiro Tomiyasu
A smart piece of business, Tomiyasuu joined Arsenal from Bologna in 2021 for just shy of £20million as cover at right-back.
He’s become more of a rotation arm these days and has been hampered by injuries, but again he’s a dependable squad player, is extremely versatile and is a very handy defender. A net positive.
15. Mikel Merino
A clever purchase in the summer of 2024, Merino unfortunately dislocated his shoulder in his first few days of training for his new club and has thus had to be patient for his debut.
We can only see him becoming more important as the season goes on, however. Watch this space.
14. Riccardo Calafiori
Because snatching one defender from Bologna wasn’t enough, Arsenal could end up paying around £42million for Calafiori if add-ons are fulfilled.
The ridiculously handsome Italian doesn’t just look the part, he is the part. If he can replicate his Serie A form in the Premier League, he’ll fly up this ranking in no time.
13. Gabriel Jesus
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but there is a reason Manchester City were happy to sell Jesus to Arsenal in 2022 for £45million, just after they’d won the Premier League.
Jesus isn’t a bad player – quite the opposite – but if he couldn’t become the main man in a title-winning City side, was he ever going to be that at Arsenal?
He absolutely has his place, but he came at quite the cost.
READ: Comparing Arsenal’s record with and without Gabriel Magalhaes since 2020
12. Oleksandr Zinchenko
Another one the social media crowd love to be noisy about, £35million to your title rivals for a rotation player obviously doesn’t sound great, but it’s clear that Zinchenko is an influential player.
Arsenal could’ve spent a lot more and got a much worse player. The Ukrainian has put in some brilliant performances since signing and will continue to serve the club in a number of positions on the field. A manager’s favourite.
11. Leandro Trossard
While Trossard might not be any more effective than Jesus, he arrived from Brighton for a lesser fee of £20million up front (plus add-ons).
He has his moments, but he’s also come up with goal contributions against Manchester City, Chelsea, Manchester United and in the Champions League. Effective.
10. Kai Havertz
There was plenty of criticism over Arsenal’s decision to sign Havertz from Chelsea for £65million, particularly in those early quiet months while took time to adapt and find his place in Arteta’s side.
He’s a bit like Marmite, is Havertz. His many critics aren’t won over just yet. But while that fee is high, he’s increasingly looking effective – and his recent penchant for scoring classic No.9 goals is shutting up the proper football men who still think Arsenal need a traditional centre-forward.
9. Jurrien Timber
The Dutchman signed for £38million in the summer of 2023 and everybody agreed it felt like incredibly smart business for the defender, but things derailed quickly when Timber tore his ACL on his Premier League debut.
He somehow returned before the season ended, coming on as a substitute in Arsenal’s final day win over Everton, and has been vital for the Gunners in his second season so far.
8. Jorginho
Hear us out – on a cut-price deal, signing Jorginho mid-season from rivals Chelsea was sensible business.
Arsenal not only weakened a rival, but snatched a vastly experienced player who profiles brilliant in their team and rotates in perfectly without needing to start every week.
A very shrewd piece of business.
7. Gabriel Martinelli
Memes aside, Martinelli’s ascent at Arsenal has been joyous.
He was signed for £6million in 2019 from Ituano – the Gunners beating other Premier League clubs to his signature – and has since made 189 appearances for the club at the time of writing, scoring 43 goals and lifting an FA Cup.
We doubt they will, but if Arsenal were to sell the 23-year-old, they’d make a tidy profit. There may be questions over his form, but it should not be forgotten that he’s one of the Premier League’s very best bargain signings of recent times.
6. Ben White
White didn’t come cheap, costing Arsenal £50million from Brighton, but he has been worth every penny.
Capable of playing at centre-back, he’s actually unlocked a new level as the starting right-back and can be considered one of the best in class. Monster.
5. Declan Rice
For £100million, you’d really hope Rice was this far up the list.
Thankfully, he is. It didn’t take a stroke of genius for Edu to spot his hidden talent, but he did play a big part in making sure Arsenal won the race for the in-demand midfielder in 2023.
He’s in it for the long run.
4. David Raya
With Ramsdale’s limitations beginning to show, Arsenal moved to Raya, who was heading into the final year of his contract at Brentford.
It was a messy deal, but Edu handled things well. Raya penned a new deal at Brentford, but Arsenal were able to sign him for just £27million.
A strong first season has carried over into 2024-25 and there is now no doubt that he’s one of the best goalkeepers in Europe. Brilliant work.
3. Gabriel
It’s taken a bit of time for him to grow into the role, but Gabriel has come on leaps and bounds since he first signed for Arsenal in 2020.
The Brazilian defender cost the Gunners £27million back then, but it’s now fair to say he’s been worth every penny. He forms one half of arguably the most solid defensive duo in the world right now. Alongside…
2. William Saliba
This absolute brute – who almost didn’t make it at Arsenal if it wasn’t for some supreme patience.
Saliba was signed the summer before Gabriel, but was sent away on loan back to France no less than three times before finally breaking into Mikel Arteta’s side in 2022-23.
They’ve not looked back ever since.
1. Martin Odegaard
Captain fantastic is of course the best signing Edu made during his time at Arsenal.
The Gunners initially lured Odegaard away from Real Madrid on loan in January 2021 and he very quickly showed what he was about. Arsenal had to do a lot of work to bring him back to the club that summer following a brilliant loan, but the initial £30million they paid has been worth every penny.
Over 150 appearances for the club, 35 goals and 25 assists and counting, Arsenal’s club captain is the one that got away from Real.