Arsenal's most expensive signing of all time was forward Andrey Arshavin who joined Arsenal for a fee of £15,000,000 in 2009 from Russian club Zenit Saint Petersburg.
Arsenal's manager, Arsene Wenger, is known to be a shrewd operator in the transfer market, and the £15 million which Arsenal forked out for their most expensive player is considerably less than the record signings of other big clubs in England. Instead, Wenger prefers to focus on youth development, scouting players at a young age and bringing them to the club for nominal fees. He then looks to develop these youngsters into world class players, rather than buying already experienced star footballers. This philosophy has meant that Arsenal consistently make a profit, every season, something most other English clubs find it very difficult to achieve.
Arsenal F.C Most Expensive Transfers
- Andrey Arshavin (Russian): £15million from Zenit Saint Petersburg.
- Jose Reyes (Spanish): £13million from Sevilla.
- Sylvain Willtord (French): £13million from FC Girondins de Bordeaux.
- Samir Nasri (French): £12million from Marseille.
- Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (English): £12million from Southampton.
Another advantage of signing young players is that large profits can be made if they decide to move to another club.
Most Profitable Transfers
- Cesc Fabregas (Spanish): Bought for £0.25million, sold for £30million.
- Patrick Vieira (French): Bought for £3.5million, sold for £15million.
- Samir Nasri (French): Bought for £12million, sold for £25million.
Arsenal have never paid more than the £15 million they payed to Zenit Saint Petersburg for their most expensive player in history, Andrey Arshavin.
