Arsenal are an entirely different club from the one Mikel Arteta took charge of over five years ago.
The Spaniard has turned what was a flailing midtable team into one that is now challenging for the Premier League title for the third consecutive year without many of their star players.
Much of the club’s evolution has to be put down to the manager’s tactics and leadership, but arguably even more important than that has been his recruitment.
The former captain has overseen the signing of several key players over the years, including one in the summer of 2021 who has seen his valuation soar.
Arsenal's 2021 summer signings
If you are talking about a signing made by Arsenal in the summer 2021 window, the first name that will come to mind for most is Martin Odegaard.
The Norwegian international spent the latter half of the prior campaign on loan with the club, and while he wasn’t sensational in that period, Arteta saw enough, and he was signed for around £30m with £4m of add-ons.
Since then, the former Real Madrid wonderkid has established himself as one of the most important players in the squad, was named captain at just 23 years old, and, while he’s not at his best at the moment, has amassed a pretty good tally of 38 goals and 31 assists in 179 games.
Another of the big signings that summer was Aaron Ramsdale, who moved from the recently relegated Sheffield United for around £30m, including add-ons.
The Englishman’s time in North London is an interesting topic, as while he won over fans and pundits during his first two campaigns and was a key member of the team who almost won the title in 22/23, he was suddenly replaced by David Raya the following year.
At the time, Arteta told the press that he did not have a set number one, but it was quickly apparent that he much preferred the Spaniard between the sticks, so after making just 11 appearances across all competitions last season, he was sold to Southampton in the summer for a fee of £18m that could reach £25m.
However, there was another addition to the first team in 2021, who cost more than Ramsdale and Odegaard, who remains an important player in the squad, and a recent increase in his valuation reflects that.
Market Movers
The Arsenal signing worth millions more today
So, while the likes of Albert Sambi Lokonga, Nuno Tavares and Takehiro Tomiyasu were all signed in the summer of 2021, the most expensive addition of the window, for Arsenal, that is, was Ben White.
The defender joined the Gunners from Brighton & Hove Albion for a fee of around £50m, and while there were more than a few dissenting voices from the media at the time, especially after his lacklustre debut, it would be hard to describe the transfer as anything other than a success.
In his first campaign with the club, the Poole-born “warrior,” as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, made 37 appearances for the team.
However, they primarily came at centre-back, which changed upon the arrival of William Saliba ahead of the 22/23 campaign.
Yet, instead of being phased out of the team, the 27-year-old dynamo simply moved out to right-back, where he has been ever since and, when fit, has a brilliant partnership with Bukayo Saka.
Interestingly, the former Brighton ace now has more competition than he did before with Jurrien Timber. Still, as brilliant as the Dutchman has been, we can see a world in which the Englishman comes back as the first choice off the right when he’s fully recovered from his knee surgery, in part thanks to his ability to provide width by overlapping brilliantly with Odegaard and Saka.
In all, the 6 foot 1 ace has made 146 appearances for the Gunners, in which he’s scored six goals and provided 11 assists, and this importance to the squad has seen his valuation soar, with Football Transfers now valuing him at up to €81.7m, which converts to around £68m, or £18m more than he cost Arteta and Co almost four years ago.
Appearances
146
Goals
6
Assists
11
Goal Involvements per Match
0.11
Ultimately, it might not have been the most obvious transfer to make at the time, but in the years since, White has become an instrumental part of this Arsenal team and is more than deserving of his new price tag.
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