Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has established an annoyingly consistent habit of turning doubted signings into smart ones.
It is impossible to please everyone, but the reaction to some of Arsenal’s transfer business has been unhinged, to say the least.
While Noni Madueke has not done enough to justify inclusion on this list, he was definitely not worthy of a #NoToMadueke petition with thousands of signatures. He arrived with a reputation as a good character and a decent player with plenty of potential. Were there better options out there? Sure. Were the petition-signing Arsenal supporters vindicated at any point? Obviously f***ing not.
Madueke still has plenty to prove, but so did Kai Havertz, among others.
More often than not, Arteta has been proven right when making big calls, not just big signings. From ostracising Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to spending big on Havertz, it is clear why he gets paid the big bucks to manage Arsenal while we sit and complain on social media.
These seven examples of criticised transfer decisions prove why that is, and how Arsenal’s ruthless manager has led them to Premier League glory.
Jorginho
Yes, Arteta’s obsession with signing unwanted Chelsea players is quite bizarre, but it’s only been a complete and utter disaster once: the free signing of Willian. The upside to signing Kepa Arrizabalaga for £5million massively outweighs the cons of the transfer, while the Madueke deal was fine despite clearly being one step too far for a large portion of the Arsenal fanbase.
The negative reaction to the Madueke deal was completely over the top. There was an equally incredible headloss from Arsenal fans when they signed Jorginho from Chelsea on deadline day in the 2023 winter transfer window.
Jorginho was weirdly rated during his time at Stamford Bridge, and his move to the Emirates wasn’t welcomed with much optimism, if any. He was the alternative to Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo, and that made fans very angry indeed. Instead of paying over £100million, as Chelsea did the following summer, the Gunners cheaped out and signed Jorginho for a tenth of that price.
It was an underwhelming signing and Arteta was criticised for it, but the Spaniard promised fans they would soon fall in love with Jorginho. And do you know what? Most Arsenal supporters did. Plus there was money left to sign Declan Rice.
Aaron Ramsdale
The Arsenal fan reaction to Aaron Ramsdale’s move from Sheffield United in 2021 was despicable, but looks tame in comparison to the #NoToMadueke nonsense that polluted social media last summer.
The immediate reaction to interest in Ramsdale was centred around the fact he is a relegation merchant; to this day, Arsenal and Newcastle United remain the only Premier League teams he’s played for and not experienced the drop with.
Excluding the Madueke meltdown, it’s hard to remember a signing being written off so fast and as brutally as Ramsdale. He turned out alright in the end – huge in the 2022/23 title push, making some remarkable saves, like the one to tip a deflected Mohamed Salah shot around the post in front of the Kop.
He wasn’t world class, but Ramsdale certainly justified Arteta’s decision to buy him.
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Replacing Aaron Ramsdale
After Ramsdale defied expectations to become a fan favourite, he was controversially ushered out of his spot between the sticks in favour of David Raya.
Signed on loan for £3m, Raya’s move from Brentford became permanent in the summer of 2024 for £27m. Having initially joined to the bemusement of fans, pretty much everyone understood why Arteta did what he did by the time his transfer fee was paid.
It did feel harsh on Ramsdale, but this is a brutal business, and if you can improve in a position without leaving yourself struggling financially, by all means, go for it. That’s what Arteta did when Raya became available.
Fast-forward to the end of the 2025/26 campaign and Raya v Ramsdale is no longer a debate. The former has become one of the best goalkeepers in the world. The latter can’t establish himself ahead of Nick Pope.
Signing Leandro Trossard, not Mykhaylo Mudryk
Like with Jorginho and Caicedo, Arsenal fans wanted a shiny new, expensive toy. In the same window as the Italian midfielder’s move from west to north London, the Gunners couldn’t agree a fee with Shakhtar Donetsk for Mykhaylo Mudryk, which prompted Chelsea to swoop in and swiftly meet the Ukrainian club’s demands. Arteta’s attention then turned to Brighton forward Leandro Trossard, who was signed for a very respectable £21m.
Arsenal fans weren’t overly upset that the alternative was Trossard, but they were annoyed that their club’s stinginess had potentially cursed them again. Mudryk was supposed to become a global superstar, dubbed a future Ballon d’Or winner by ex-Shakhtar boss Roberto De Zerbi.
Mudryk was electric on his Blues debut, but that was as good as it got for him – skinning a few players in a goalless draw at Anfield. He’s now suspended for taking a banned substance, while Trossard is widely regarded as one of the most clutch players in the Premier League. We called it. Kind of.
His most clutch goal of all came very recently, scoring the winner at West Ham on matchweek 36 in 2025/26 to essentially clinch Arsenal their first Premier League title in 22 years.
MORE: Chelsea transfers signed after interest from Premier League rivals
Granit Xhaka
Fans wanted Xhaka out of the club, and for once, we really can’t blame them. Their captain told them to f**k off and threw the club’s shirt to the ground in disgrace. His time at the club looked done for sure, but Arteta convinced him to stay – and what a decision that somehow turned out to be.
From fans demanding he leaves to begging for him to stay, Xhaka enjoyed one hell of a remontada and it was all down to Arteta’s powers of persuasion, having identified the Swiss as a crucial ingredient in his Gunners recipe.
Xhaka is one of the former Arsenal players supporters wish were still around to enjoy their Premier League glory
William Saliba’s loans
When Saliba was signed for £27m, Arsenal kept him at Saint-Etienne, which was fine. Then he played a little in pre-season but didn’t make a competitive first-team appearance, being shipped out to Nice in January 2021. Arsenal fans were not happy.
They were even more annoyed when Saliba joined Marseille the following summer. They shouldn’t have been, because the Arsenal defence in 2021/22 would’ve dragged him down, and his season at the Orange Velodrome was incredibly beneficial in the long term.
Some Arsenal fans are still annoyed and believe keeping Saliba for 21/22 would’ve got them into the Champions League. They could be right, but this was still a terrific decision made by Arteta, who ended up dealing with Saliba’s development perfectly, when almost everyone seemed to believe he was ruining his career and denying the club a genuine superstar.
Out of every tough decision Arteta has made, this is arguably his biggest stroke of genius.
Kai Havertz
Say what you like about Havertz, he is a player built for the big moments. The former Chelsea Champions League final hero scored the winner against Burnley on matchweek 37, days before Manchester City’s draw at Bournemouth secured Arsenal the title.
That alone justifies his inclusion here, but there is plenty of evidence to prove Arteta was right to sign the German attacker.
The mammoth £60m fee Arsenal paid to Chelsea might not have been fully justified, because that is a lot of wonga, yet there is no doubt Havertz has proven his doubters wrong and his importance to this Gunners squad cannot be understated.
