Unai Emery spent a year-and-a-half in charge at Arsenal, leading his side to a Europa League final before being sacked shortly after a poor run of games. The 50-year-old then made the move to the La Liga with Villarreal, while the Gunners opted for former player Mikel Arteta to be their new manager.
Arteta has gone on to transform the squad with a number of signings in the past three summer windows, looking to move on those who struggled since his appointment in 2019. That has meant a number of Emery’s signings have left, while some are still thriving for the Gunners.
football.london take a look at the 12 players who were brought in under the former Arsenal head coach. A mixed bag would be quite the appropriate tagline for this group.
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Nicolas Pepe
The Ivory Coast international was a record signing for the club, costing £72million to sign from Ligue 1 side Lille. However, under Mikel Arteta Bukayo Saka quickly took hold of the right-wing position.
That said, Arteta was criticised for not giving Pepe more chances to prove himself. He now finds himself on a dry loan with Nice in Ligue 1 and will return in the summer of 2023 with just one year left on his deal and Arsenal surely looking for a permanent transfer out of the club.
William Saliba
The young defender joined for roughly £27million from Saint Etienne before being sent back immediately to the French side. Having spent an audibly rebellious two years in the under-23s, on loan with Nice and then Marseille for the whole of last season, the time has finally come for Saliba.
Mikel Arteta has made Saliba a crucial part of the 2022/23 starting eleven. Nailing down the right centre-half spot and even scoring his first goal just three games in with a stunning left-footed strike against Bournemouth. A big future awaits this young star.
Lucas Torreira
The midfielder made 89 competitive appearances for the Gunners, playing primarily as a ball-winner in the central ranks. He however was not fancied by Arteta who sent him on loan to Atletico Madrid and Fiorentina.
Despite returning for preseason in the US in 2022, Torreira was determined to leave the club permanently. His wish was granted and Arsenal agreed to sell Torreira to Galatasaray in Turkey for a reported £5.5million.
David Luiz
The Brazilian made the switch across London from Chelsea to Arsenal in a deal worth roughly £7million. He had shown glimpses of his quality but did struggle with mistakes creeping into his game. Luiz left the club in the summer of 2021, joining Brazilian side Flamengo on a free transfer and has since made
Kieran Tierney
Tierney has gone on to be a key player for the Gunners at left-back since his arrival from Celtic. He is still an important part of the set-up Arteta has gone for, however, the arrival of Oleksandr Zinchenko has meant he has been on the bench more than he would like.
The Ukrainian has brought an inverted style to the role, contrasted with Tierney's more traditional style. However, there is evidence that Arteta is coaching Tierney on how to adapt and it is having an impact.
Sokratis Papastathopoulos
The Greece international joined from Borussia Dortmund in 2018, looking to shore up the Arsenal defence. He, much like David Luiz, saw mistakes creep into his game before he had his contract terminated in 2020 and joined Olympiacos.
Bernd Leno
The goalkeeper started out as second fiddle to Petr Cech but established himself as number one for Mikel Arteta's first full season, but slipped down the pecking order following the arrival of Aaron Ramsdale. After spending the majority of the 2021/22 season on the bench, he left for Fulham for roughly £8million including add-ons.
Denis Suarez
The 27-year-old joined on loan from Barcelona for the season, but only made six appearances in his spell at the Emirates. Following his return to Catalonia, Suarez then moved to fellow La Liga club Celta Vigo, where he has become a key player for the side.
Matteo Guendouzi
The 22-year-old showed a lot of promise when he first joined the club, with the potential to become a big player in the future. He struggled to break into the side and after failing to match Mikel Arteta's expectations for discipline and was loaned to Hertha Berlin and then Marseille who he joined on a permanent deal in the summer of 2022 for roughly £9million.
Stephan Lichtsteiner
The experienced right-back joined on a free transfer as one of the first through the door under Emery. He made 23 appearances in an Arsenal shirt, leaving after his one-year deal for German side Augsburg. Following another one-year deal, he hung up his boots in 2020, putting an end to a long career in professional football.
Gabriel Martinelli
The youngster joined from Brazilian club Ituano for roughly £6million, which is looking like a bargain given his current form. He is now the established left winger in a front three that includes Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka.
He needs to adds more goals to his game but they are coming. A contract renewal will surely be on the agenda of the club to lock down the player who has said previously he could stay in north London 'forever'.
Dani Ceballos
Ceballos spent two years at the Emirates from Real Madrid, where he hoped to kick on and improve his game. While he was a regular for the side, he struggled at times to show what he is capable of before returning to the Spanish capital.
He is still with Los Blancos and won the Champions League last season, coming on in the final as a substitute in Carlo Ancelotti's side. He remains a squad player but has quite the collection of medals since his loan at Arsenal began.
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