Arsenal's summer transfer window - graded

  • Arsenal spent big again during summer transfer window
  • Declan Rice and Kai Havertz brought in for over £160m combined
  • Gunners also shifted fringe players
Three of Arsenal's new boys
Three of Arsenal's new boys / James Gill - Danehouse/GettyImages
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Mikel Arteta's Arsenal resemble an updated version of Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool when it comes to the transfer market.

Most of the Gunners' incoming business is sound and most of their recruits improve drastically in their system. That's all you can really ask for in a transfer.

They haven't been as busy this summer, but they have splashed the cash in key areas.

Here's how 90min rates their most recent business.


2023/24 Arsenal arrivals

Kai Havertz - C-

Kai Havertz
Havertz has had a slow start at Arsenal / Visionhaus/GettyImages

Transfer date

Signed from

Fee

28/06/23

Chelsea

£62m

Yeah, yeah, 'jury's out' and all that. But you can't deny that on the face of it, this was a weird deal for Arsenal.

In three years at Chelsea, Kai Havertz failed to live up to the considerable hype from his Bayer Leverkusen days, which is quite a feat considering he scored a goal to win the Champions League.

The plan to move Havertz away from the centre forward role was understandable considering his poor finishing and lack of conviction when striking a ball. It's questionable whether he will succeed in a deep midfield role, however.


Jurrien Timber - B

Jurrien Timber
Timber's debut season may already be over / Julian Finney/GettyImages

Transfer date

Signed from

Fee

14/07/23

Ajax

£34.3m

Sometimes you don't know what you've truly got until it's got, which is ironic in the case of Jurrien Timber and Arsenal considering he played only 50 minutes of Premier League action before succumbing to an ACL injury.

Without the Dutchman, Arteta has been forced to fit other defenders into the unique role he had devised for his summer signing.

In the long run, Timber should prove to be a fine signing and not just because Arsenal miss him while he's out.


Declan Rice - A

Declan Rice
A firm favourite already / Visionhaus/GettyImages

Transfer date

Signed from

Fee

15/07/23

West Ham

£100m

It's been obvious for a while that Declan Rice was a bonafide superstar in waiting, he just needed a bigger stage to burst onto.

He's proven an instant hit with the Emirates faithful and an iconic goal/moment is already in the bag. Rice is bound to be an Arsenal favourite for years to come.


David Raya - A

David Raya
Raya is one of the league's best goalkeepers / Julian Finney/GettyImages

Transfer date

Signed from

Fee

15/08/23

Brentford

Loan

Listen, very few teams in the history of football have a history of making this 'we're going to make two goalkeepers compete for the shirt', but credit to Arsenal for thinking they're above that longstanding trend.

David Raya is no worse a goalkeeper than Aaron Ramsdale, and their ability to convince Brentford to make the deal an initial loan was superb business.


2023/24 Arsenal departures

Pablo Mari - A

Pablo Mari
Mari has left Arsenal / Ciancaphoto Studio/GettyImages

Transfer date

Joined

Fee

30/06/23

Monza

£6m

Pablo Mari was never realistically going to play for Arsenal again. £6m for deadwood is great business considering clubs on the continent have far scarcer resources compared to Premier League sides.


Granit Xhaka - B-

BundesligaBorussia Mönchengladbach v Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Farewell, Gunner Granit / ANP/GettyImages

Transfer date

Joined

Fee

06/07/23

Bayer Leverkusen

£21.4m

If this transfer had happened a year ago, it would have gone down as an unquestionable A+.

That tells us how important Granit Xhaka was last season, becoming the engine of a team that pushed Manchester City to the brink. The fee is acceptable but his exit in general is less palatable.

Besides, Arsenal replaced him with Havertz.


Auston Trusty - A+

Auston Trusty
Trusty headed north to Sheffield United / James Gill - Danehouse/GettyImages

Transfer date

Joined

Fee

03/08/23

Sheffield United

£5m

£5m? For a 25-year-old with no top-flight experience? A player that wouldn't have stood a chance of making the first team?

It doesn't get much better.


Matt Turner - A

Matt Turner
Turner was Arsenal's second American export / Visionhaus/GettyImages

Transfer date

Joined

Fee

09/08/23

Nottingham Forest

£10m

If Arsenal were as good at seeing out seasons as they were at selling American players way down their pecking order, they would have held off Man City last term.

The extra layer to this deal is Matt Turner might not even be number one at Nottingham Forest for much longer, with Steve Cooper bringing in Odysseas Vlachodimos late in the transfer window.


Kieran Tierney - D

Kieran Tierney
Tierney's moved to Spain / Quality Sport Images/GettyImages

Transfer date

Joined

Fee

27/08/23

Real Sociedad

Loan

Kieran Tierney may have been after more opportunities, but Arsenal should have either sold him or told the left-back that he would have played more this season considering their newfound shortages at the back and increased need for competition.

The Gunners are another defensive injury away from tumbling into a crisis. Well, at least they don't have to blame Rob Holding for any longer.


Folarin Balogun - A-

Folarin Balogun
Balogun left late in the window / Jonathan Moscrop/GettyImages

Transfer date

Joined

Fee

30/08/23

Monaco

£25.8m

In such a strange market, Arsenal fans may feel disappointed to have sold a young striker who scored 22 goals last season for under £30m.

But Folarin Balogun was always going to be third-choice at best in N5. He's now proven a worthy scorer but only after one season of senior football. By nearly all accounts, this was a good deal.


Rob Holding - B

Rob Holding
Holding swapped north London for south London / Marc Atkins/GettyImages

Transfer date

Joined

Fee

01/09/23

Crystal Palace

£1m

Was it good to finally move on from Rob Holding? Yes, for sure.

Should Arsenal have been able to haggle for a fee more than an initial £1m? You'd have thought so.


Albert Sambi Lokonga - B

Albert Sambi Lokonga
Lokonga's left on loan again / Catherine Ivill/GettyImages

Transfer date

Joined

Fee

01/09/23

Luton

Loan

Arsenal will be hoping that Albert Sambi Lokonga's loan to Luton will prove more fruitful than last season's to Crystal Palace, where he showed very few signs of being able to compete at a Premier League level.


Nuno Tavares - B

FBL-FRA-LIGUE1-MONTPELLIER-MARSEILLE
Tavares is out on loan once more / PASCAL GUYOT/GettyImages

Transfer date

Joined

Fee

01/09/23

Nottingham Forest

Loan

Nuno Tavares is one of the most chaotic players in the Premier League. Arsenal should be thankful they found another suitor for him at the transfer deadline.


LISTEN NOW TO 90MIN'S TALKING TRANSFERS PODCAST

On this edition of Talking Transfers, part of the 90min podcast network, Scott Saunders is joined by Graeme Bailey to discuss Al Ittihad's attempts to sign Mohamed Salah, Jadon Sancho's Man Utd future, the players that could still leave the Premier League and more! If you can't see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!