Arsenal transfers and rumours
Arsenal fell just short in their pursuit of a first Premier League title in 19 years as they finished behind Manchester City in second place, but a return to the Champions League meant they made some major signings as they look to fight for domestic and European honours.
Declan Rice’s protracted move from West Ham was undoubtedly the biggest, but there were a couple of other surprising moves in what was a busy time in terms of Arsenal transfers and rumours over the summer.
We’ve wrapped up all their business dealings below and you can click on the link for the best transfers of the summer both in the Premier League and abroad.
Who joined Arsenal?
Declan Rice (West Ham – £105m)
Rice became the most expensive English player in history following a £105m move from West Ham on a long-term contract.
The England midfielder made 245 appearances for the Irons, with his last helping the Hammers win the Europa Conference League, their first trophy since 1980.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said: “Declan is bringing undoubted quality to the club and he is an exceptional talent who has the potential to be very successful here.”
Speaking to the Arsenal website following the confirmation of his move, Rice said he was determined to take his game to another level with the Gunners.
He said: “You only ever get one career and I really believe in what Mikel is building here and the squad he’s building. I’m really looking forward to the future with Arsenal.”
Jurrien Timber (Ajax – £38.5m)
Timber joined the club he “loves” after the Netherlands international completed a £38.5million move.
The 22-year-old defender has signed from Ajax on what is understood to be a five-year contract.
Timber has 15 senior international caps and is believed to have been signed predominantly to play at right-back for Mikel Arteta’s side.
“I just love the club,” he told arsenal.com upon signing for the Gunners. “It was because of my brothers. They were always Arsenal fans, and I just loved seeing Arsenal play. They had big players, the way they played, the style.
“I had this from a young age, but my brothers kind of put that in me. I liked watching Robin Van Persie of course, and Thierry Henry. They were my favourite players.”
Kai Havertz (Chelsea)
The Germany forward finally completed his move to Arsenal from Chelsea on a long-term contract, thought to be five years.
Havertz joined after three years with the Blues, during which he made 139 appearances, scoring 32 goals, including the winner in the 2021 Champions League final.
The 24-year-old former Bayer Leverkusen player told Arsenal’s official website: “It’s super exciting for me to be joining this amazing club and to be part of the Arsenal family. This club has such a big history, and I hope we can achieve lots of things. The aim is to win trophies and I’m going to give everything to do that for the supporters and everyone at the club.”
David Raya (Brentford – loan)
Arsenal completed the signing of David Raya from Brentford on a season-long loan, with an option for a permanent transfer.
The 27-year-old goalkeeper played in all 38 of the Bees’ Premier League games last season keeping 11 clean sheets and conceding 46 goals.
He will compete with England international Aaron Ramsdale for the number one position as Mikel Arteta’s team look to build on last season’s title challenge, whilst also playing in the Champions League for the first time since 2017.
Raya has also signed a new two-year deal with Brentford with an option for a third, something the club has described as a “fall-back option” should his Arsenal move not be made permanent.
He made his debut for Spain during a 2-1 friendly win against Albania in March 2022 and was a part of Luis Enrique’s squad for last year’s World Cup.
Arsenal signings:
Declan Rice (West Ham – £105m)
Kai Havertz (Chelsea – £65m)
Jurrien Timber (Ajax – £38.5m)
David Raya (Brentford – loan)
Who left Arsenal?
Granit Xhaka (Bayer Leverkusen – undiclosed)
Xhaka’s seven-year stay at the Emirates came to an end when he joined Bayer Leverkusen on a five-year contract in a deal thought to be worth £21m to the Gunners.
The 30-year-old midfielder won the FA Cup twice in a topsy-turvy Arsenal career during which the Switzerland international was also stripped of the armband by Unai Emery after swearing at supporters as his substitution in a game against Crystal Palace was cheered.
He had decided to leave the club before Mikel Arteta was appointed manager but was convinced to stay and played all but one Premier League game last season, scoring seven goals from midfield, including two on the final day of the campaign.
Arteta said: “We are saying goodbye to a fantastic player and person loved by all of us. It has been an incredible journey together for him and he has given absolutely everything for this club. The influence Granit has had on his team-mates on the pitch and colleagues at the club, will tell you just how popular he is.”
Kieran Tierney (Real Sociedad – loan)
The Scotland left-back will spend the season on loan at Real Sociedad.
Tierney, signed for £25m from Celtic in 2019, has featured 124 times for the club, but only made six Premier Leagei appearances last season.
Rob Holding (Crystal Palace – undisclosed)
The 27-year-old defender ended his six-year stay at Arsenal by completing a move to London rivals Crystal Palace.
Holding, who made 162 appearances for the Gunners and won the FA Cup twice, was also thought to be a target for Sevilla, but joined the Eagles on a three-year deal.
He told his new club’s website: “Playing against Crystal Palace the number of years I have, seeing the fans and how intimidating Selhurst Park can be, and how loud it can get, I’m looking forward to being on the right side of that this time!”
Folarin Balogun (Monaco – undisclosed)
United States forward Balogun joined Monaco for a fee believed to be around £34m on a five-year contract which also includes a sell-on clause of 17.5 per cent.
Balogun joined the Gunners aged 10 and developed through the club’s academy before signing a first professional contract in February 2019, making his senior debut in the Europa League the following year.
In January 2022, Balogun joined Middlesbrough on loan and he spent last season in Ligue 1 at Reims, where he scored 21 goals.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles (released)
Maitland-Niles was the best known of the 13 players to be released at the end of their contracts after a 19-year association with the Gunners.
The 25-year-old versatile player spent last season on loan at Southampton, but was unable to prevent them from being relegated.
Maitland-Niles also had temporary spells at West Brom and Roma in the last couple of years having been transfer-listed in 2020.
Matt Turner (Nottingham Forest – undisclosed)
Turner’s one-season stay at the Emirates as back-up to Aaron Ramsdale came to an end after he signed a four-year deal with Nottingham Forest for a fee believed to be between £7-10m.
The USA goalkeeper joined the Gunners from New England Revolution in the summer if 2022 and went on to make seven appearances, but has left the club in order to get more game time.
He said: “It feels great to be here. It’s a great challenge and a great step in my career. When I heard that there was interest to bring me here, it just felt right for my family, it felt right when my agent spoke to me about it and it feels like the right move for me right now.
“The manager and the backroom staff, everything about the club has a little sparkle to it. It’s felt right from the start and I’m happy it’s got done.”
Arsenal departures:
Granit Xhaka (Bayer Leverkusen – undisclosed)
Folarin Balogun (Monaco – undisclosed)
Kieran Tierney (Real Sociedad – loan)
Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Lyon – free)
Matt Turner (Nottingham Forest – undisclosed)
Auston Trusty (Sheffield United – undisclosed)
Pablo Mari (Monza – undisclosed)
Rob Holding (undisclosed)
Nuno Taveres (Nottinghan Forest – loan)
Marquinhos (Nantes – loan)
Nicolas Pepe (Trabzonsport – free)
Albert Sambi Lokonga (Luton – loan)
All odds and markets correct as of date of publication
