Ranking EVERY Arsenal signing under Edu from worst to best after shock exit decision

Many Arsenal signings under Edu have played a key part in how the club have become regular Premier League title challengers under Mikel Arteta – but which have been the best?

Edu is expected to be leaving his role as Arsenal’s sporting director, which he was promoted to in November 2022 after serving as a technical director since July 2019. He will be leaving behind a better squad than the one he found when he began working on their recruitment.

That said, not all of the signings Arsenal have made over the past five years have been successes. Thus, we have ranked all of Arsenal’s senior signings of the Edu era from best to worst.

36. Runar Alex Runarsson

The goalkeeping department is arguably the one that has undergone the biggest evolution during Edu’s time at Arsenal. One player who came and went without putting his name to any performance memorable for the right reasons was Runar Alex Runarsson.

He joined from Dijon in 2020 to act as a backup keeper, but couldn’t even cling onto the second-choice role by the end of his debut season.

The Iceland international only made one Premier League appearance and Arsenal had to send him on loan to three different clubs before being able to rid themselves of him for good.

35. Nicolas Pepe

Costing a club-record fee at the time of £72m, Pepe arrived to a degree of excitement, but the Ivorian winger failed to match his efficiency from his Lille days.

He was one of Arsenal’s first signings since Edu returned to the club as a director – although he is believed to have favoured other options and was vetoed by Raul Sanllehi – but they would get little return on their investment, later releasing him on a free transfer so he could join Trabzonspor.

That said, Pepe’s numbers weren’t entirely disastrous; he still managed to score 27 times for the club over a three-year spell. But that was just four more goals than he had managed in his final season alone at Lille.

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34. Auston Trusty

Signed in 2022 from MLS side Colorado Rapids, Trusty never made a competitive appearance for Arsenal, but they did manage to make a profit on him thanks to his form out on loan at Birmingham City.

33. Willian

Arsenal have signed plenty of players from Chelsea over the years, but it often hasn’t worked out.

One who struggled, despite his experience, was Willian, who became burdensome to the club because of his high wage package.

But one underrated aspect of Edu’s directorial skills has been knowing when to cut losses on a player and Willian’s contract was ultimately terminated after just one goal from 37 games.

32. Marquinhos

Signed from Sao Paulo in 2022 after Arsenal hijacked his move to Wolves, Marquinhos provided a goal and assist on his Arsenal debut, but it didn’t get much better from there.

He only made one Premier League appearance before being loaned out to Norwich City halfway through his debut season. Although he remains on the books, the fact he is now on loan back in Brazil with Fluminense might indicate he has little chance of a future back at Arsenal.

31. Neto

Neto only joined Arsenal on deadline day this summer and is yet to make his debut. But when they needed an experienced backup goalkeeper, being able to bring in the captain of another Premier League club on loan seemed like smart business.

30. Mathew Ryan

Ryan arrived from Brighton in January 2021 to demote Runarsson to third choice. The Australian made three Premier League appearances during his loan spell and only conceded two goals.

29. Matt Turner

Arsenal gave Turner his breakthrough into English football after spending the bulk of his career until then in MLS. While he never played in the league for the Gunners, he did play seven times in cup games and kept four clean sheets along the way.

28. Pablo Mari

Although he was born in Spain and had been on the books at Manchester City, Mari was playing in Brazil when Arsenal gave him a chance.

The centre-back was never a regular for Arsenal, who forked out a significant loan fee to get him at first, but did amass 22 appearances before moving to Italy.

27. Albert Sambi Lokonga

Sambi Lokonga seemed to have some potential when Arsenal bought him from Anderlecht, but he only featured in half of their league games during his debut season.

Halfway through his second, the midfielder was sent out on loan and he is now on his third temporary spell away from Arsenal.

26. Nuno Tavares

Tavares cost Arsenal less than £10m to buy from Benfica, but only got one season in the first team before being loaned away, despite playing 28 times under Arteta.

This season he is impressing on loan at Lazio, which might indicate that Arsenal did in fact spot a talent, even if he couldn’t quite show it at the Emirates Stadium.

25. Cedric Soares

It was seen as a surprise when Arsenal took Cedric from Southampton in 2020, but they haven’t been averse to bringing in an experienced player to enhance their depth.

Without much fanfare, Cedric spent four-and-a-half years as an Arsenal player, which included six months on loan at Fulham, as his gametime dropped significantly towards the end of his spell.

24. Jakub Kiwior

There was hefty competition for Kiwior in the January 2023 transfer window thanks to his form with Spezia, but Arsenal represented a big step up from where he had been playing.

He appealed because of his ability to play at left-back or centre-back, but Arsenal have subsequently reinforced those roles with perceptibly better players and his future has often been called into question.

23. David Luiz

David Luiz’s inconsistencies at Chelsea meant he wasn’t a popular signing for Arsenal when he arrived in 2019 and he went on to commit some costly errors in his debut season, in which he was sent off a couple of times and set a record for the most penalties given away by a single player in a Premier League season.

But he was a starter in their 2020 FA Cup final win, putting in a big performance, and became a part of Arsenal’s leadership group before leaving with 73 appearances behind him.

22. Dani Ceballos

Ceballos arrived on loan from Real Madrid in the summer of 2019 and made two assists on his first start in a sign of his potential.

The midfielder did enough in his debut season for Arsenal to extend his loan for a second year, meaning he reached 79 appearances for the club, but he didn’t quite do enough to convince them to buy him permanently.

His FA Cup medal can’t be taken away from him, though; Ceballos played all 90 minutes of the final in 2020.

21. Fabio Vieira

It is hard to compete for the attacking midfield role in Arsenal’s system thanks to someone who ranks higher on this list, but Vieira gave it a go for two seasons before being loaned back to Porto.

He only has three goals to his name for Arsenal so far, but did score the winning penalty in the Community Shield shootout in 2023.

20. Kieran Tierney

Tierney has endured a somewhat strange Arsenal career since joining from Celtic in 2019. His gametime wasn’t as high as he would have liked at first, before he established himself as a regular starter at left-back.

But over time, he has fallen down Arteta’s estimations and spent the 2023-24 season on loan at Real Sociedad before returning to Arsenal’s disposal – although injury has denied him a second debut yet.

19. Raheem Sterling

Frozen out by Chelsea, Sterling added to his impressive CV by completing a loan move to Arsenal on deadline day – the fourth of the Premier League’s ‘big six’ he has now represented.

It’s too early to judge Sterling’s Arsenal spell, but adding a player of his quality on loan seemed to be a risk worth taking and he scored on his first start for the club.

18. Mikel Merino

Merino impressed over the summer as a rotation player in Spain’s successful Euro 2024 squad and over time there are hopes he can improve Arsenal’s evolving midfield and bring the balance they need.

He has been on the receiving end of some criticism recently though and will need to lift his form, though there shouldn’t be too much cause for alarm just yet.

17. Aaron Ramsdale

Ramsdale became the topic of much controversy with how he was handled by Arsenal and must have felt like he went from hero to zero.

Although he had twice suffered relegation from the Premier League, Arsenal committed to a big fee to sign him from Sheffield United in 2021.

He was their regular starter for two seasons, ever-present in the 2022/23 Premier League, before being pushed down the pecking order following the arrival of David Raya in 2023, struggling to fight for his place despite Arteta initially hinting the two goalkeepers would be considered equally for selection.

16. Takehiro Tomiyasu

While he only tends to feature in just over half of Arsenal’s games per season, Tomiyasu is a reliable operator in defence thanks to his ability to cover in different roles.

Brought in from Bologna in 2021, Tomiyasu has now represented Arsenal more than any of his previous clubs, despite having to deal with some injuries along the way.

15. Oleksandr Zinchenko

This signing may have been more down to Arteta’s Man City connections, but Zinchenko became a fairly regular starter at left-back upon his arrival, despite it previously being thought that he could revert to a midfield role.

He has been fairly suitable for Arteta’s system, but left-back has become a position Arsenal have considered strengthening.

14. Gabriel Jesus

Another player Arteta knew from his Man City days and another one whose position turned out to still need an upgrade, Jesus was seen as a striker who could take Arsenal to the next level when he joined in 2022.

It hasn’t quite panned out that way, with the Brazilian only scoring 20 goals from 82 games so far, but he brings energy to the attack and remains reasonably well thought of – just not as a prolific goalscorer.

13. Jurrien Timber

A tactically intelligent defender, Timber looked like a good signing for Arsenal when he arrived from Ajax last summer, but he soon suffered a serious injury.

His second season, then, feels like his first, and he is starting to make up for lost time by featuring across various positions.

12. Riccardo Calafiori

Scoring a rocket against title rivals Manchester City was some way for Calafiori to showcase his ability to his new Arsenal fans, but the defender has been brought in for different reasons.

He showed tactical maturity last season at Bologna and impressed with an otherwise underwhelming Italy side at Euro 2024, and as a left-footed defender who can play as a centre-half or full-back, could be the upgrade Arsenal have been searching for as one of the missing pieces of their puzzle.

11. Jorginho

The signing of Jorginho in January 2023 was designed to give Arsenal some crucial experience ahead of a title run in, and although they fell short of winning the league, the former Chelsea midfielder has proven useful.

By May 2024, Jorginho had earned a new contract with Arsenal thanks to his calming influence in midfield and senior presence.

10. Leandro Trossard

Trossard pushed hard to join Arsenal from Brighton in 2023, eager to show he deserved the next step in his career.

His form since has fluctuated with whether he is starting or coming on in matches; the winger seems to be a better impact player than starter, but his record of 20 goals for a club he has only started 45 games for is well worthy of respect.

9. Thomas Partey

Arsenal activated Partey’s release clause to sign him from Atletico Madrid in 2020. The midfielder has struggled to have an influence on goals but became a key starter alongside Granit Xhaka in the 2022-23 season, when Arsenal first went close to the title under Arteta.

Partey has encountered some injury issues, though, and there is a sense he may be starting to be phased out.

8. David Raya

It was a signing that caused some controversy, but Raya’s form helped settle the situation down. Indeed, he claimed the Premier League Golden Glove thanks to his 16 clean sheets in his debut season.

Arsenal making his move from Brentford permanent was always a formality and their subsequent decisions in the goalkeeping department have reiterated how happy they are with Raya.

7. Kai Havertz

Havertz was on a mission to prove his doubters wrong after joining Arsenal from Chelsea in 2023. At the time, there were question marks over where he would play.

In time, Havertz has found his niche as a false nine, going on some impressive scoring streaks; only Bukayo Saka scored more league goals than him last season.

If Arsenal do sign a new centre-forward, though, Havertz could be vulnerable to losing his place. But he has shown some fighting spirit to justify Arsenal’s big investment in him.

6. Ben White

Initially signed as a centre-back thanks to his rise with Brighton, White has become a regular starter for Arsenal at right-back instead due to subsequent decisions.

And he remains a regular starter, proving to be one of Arsenal’s most reliable, intelligent and consistent players.

He did cost a big sum but Arsenal will feel he was worth investing in.

5. Gabriel Martinelli

It ought to be noted that Martinelli technically joined Arsenal before Edu was announced as their technical director. But Edu is believed to have played a key role in setting up his transfer from Brazilian side Ituano.

You don’t get too many bargains in football these days but Martinelli for £6m might well be one. He impressed with 10 goals from 26 games in his debut season, but had to bounce back from a fairly big injury.

He has since carved out a role for himself on the left wing, now boasting more than 40 goals for Arsenal and earning a place as a regular starter, bringing a unique blend of talents to his position.

4. Gabriel Magalhaes

Arsenal currently have one of the most settled defensive partnerships in the Premier League and they took a strong step towards constructing it with the addition of Gabriel from Lille in 2020.

The Brazilian’s impact was instant. He was named as Arsenal’s player of the month in both of his first two months playing for the club – and then again in his fourth. It was fair to say he had hit the ground running.

Gabriel has been assured of a starting place pretty much ever since, even featuring in all 38 Premier League matches in 2022/23. And the fact he only cost around £27m has made him a very good value for money addition too.

3. Declan Rice

Whereas the last time Arsenal had broken their transfer record it was for a player who turned out to be less successful, the £100m addition of Rice from West Ham in 2023 has gained attention for the right reasons.

Rice had long seemed capable of stepping up to a club of Arsenal’s level and he has adapted in no time, going on to feature in all 38 league games of his debut season and also recording a career-best goal tally of seven in the process.

Rice is a powerful midfielder who has never looked out of place at Arsenal and has given them balance and a strong outlook for the future in his position.

2. William Saliba

While Gabriel is one part of Arsenal’s centre-back partnership, it has gone to another level since Saliba was brought back from his developmental loan spells.

Signed in the summer of 2019, Saliba had to endure three loan spells back in his native France before being able to make his debut for Arsenal. But by then, there would be no looking back.

Saliba stormed into the Arsenal team from the 2022/23 season onwards and it is no coincidence that the timeframe corresponds with when the club have been genuine title contenders.

He didn’t miss a Premier League game in 2023/24 and is now closing in on a century of appearances for Arsenal – and he’s still only 23.

While £27m was a big commitment to make for a player who was just 18 at the time, Saliba has skyrocketed his value thanks to the way he has matured and become a dominant force at the back.

1. Martin Odegaard

Odegaard’s talent was always obvious. It was why Real Madrid signed him as a 15-year-old. But the attacking midfielder never quite got the faith to develop in the Spanish capital.

Since joining Arsenal in 2021, initially on loan, Odegaard has unlocked his potential. He made a major impression during his loan spell and was warmly received when he made his move permanent.

Odegaard became such an influential player that Arteta chose him as Arsenal’s new captain ahead of the 2022/23 season, in which he would go on to score a career-best 15 goals and was named, for the first of two consecutive times, Arsenal’s player of the season.

Arsenal had to work hard to set up his £30m arrival on a permanent basis, but it has been well worth the time, effort and expense.

Odegaard is an undisputed starter, a uniquely gifted and irreplaceable cog in their system and someone who stands out in the entire Premier League as one of the best in class.

Arsenal might not have been the ones to spot Odegaard’s talent first, but they have certainly been the ones to maximise it – and they have been all the better for it.

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