Ranking the Top 10 Arsenal Free Transfers of the Premier League Era
As it's January, Arsenal are able to negotiate Bosman transfers with players stationed abroad who have six months or under remaining on their respective contracts.
However, a glance at the history books suggests that manager Arsene Wenger's record with free transfers isn't particularly good. There have been a couple of notable exceptions, but for the most part, it's a motley crew of misguided signings.
In this piece, we count down Arsenal's top 10 free transfers of the Premier League era, ranking them according to how good a piece of business they came to be. It's worth noting that deals for which the Gunners were forced to pay compensation, such as the transfer that took Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona to north London, have not been included.
10. Joe O'Cearuill
1 of 10
Free transfers are often gambles that don't pay off. So it proved in the case of Joe O’Cearuill, who joined as a free agent from Watford in 2006.
He was one of the first Arsenal players to play at the Emirates Stadium, coming on as a substitute during Dennis Bergkamp's testimonial.
However, he has since tumbled down the divisions and is with Haringey Borough in the Isthmian League. Few will remember O’Ceaurill as a great free transfer.
9. Olafur Ingi Skulason
2 of 10
Olafur Ingi Skulason is an Icelandic defensive midfielder who joined the club from Fylkir in 2001. He made his debut in 2003, coming on during the 5-1 dismantling of Wolverhampton Wanderers in the League Cup—a match memorable for the fact that Fabregas became the club’s youngest goalscorer. That record stands to this day.
As for Skulason, he has since enjoyed a journeyman career, taking in the Swedish, Belgian and Turkish leagues. Unfortunately, despite playing a part in qualification, he was not included in Iceland’s squad for their remarkable Euro 2016 campaign.
8. Guy Demel
3 of 10
Powerful utility player Guy Demel spent a solitary season at Arsenal in 2000/01. Wenger brought him in from French outfit Nimes Olympique, but after failing to make a single appearance, he was quickly moved on to Borussia Dortmund.
Nevertheless, Demel went on to forge a good career, even returning to the Premier League with West Ham United in 2011. He plays for Red Star in the French Ligue 2.
7. Guillaume Warmuz
4 of 10
Guillaume Warmuz was a former France under-21 international goalkeeper who represented Lens, Borussia Dortmund and AS Monaco with distinction. You might not be aware, but he was also briefly on the books at Arsenal.
Warmuz was signed a free agent in January 2003 as a replacement for the injured Rami Shaaban. However, he did not make a single competitive appearance for the Gunners and left after just seven months.
He went on to resurrect his career with successful spells in Germany and France. If he’d had a longer stint at Arsenal, perhaps he would have made a greater impression.
6. Danny Karbassiyoon
5 of 10
American Danny Karbassiyoon joined Arsenal in 2003 from amateur club Roanoke Star. He was initially recruited as a forward but soon found his niche as a marauding full-back.
Unfortunately, his career was cut short by injury; he was forced to retire from the game aged just 22.
Although Karbassiyoon did not fulfil his potential with Arsenal as a player, he has still proved to be a useful asset to the club. In recent years he was worked as a scout, helping Arsenal to identify talents such as Gedion Zelalem and Joel Campbell, per Jack Pitt-Brooke of The Independent.
Through his work as a scout, Karbassiyoon could make a far greater contribution to the club’s fortunes than many of the players on this list.
5. Mart Poom
6 of 10
After joining Arsenal from Sunderland on loan in August 2005, Mart Poom made his move permanent a few months later.
Poom did not play a single game in his maiden campaign but did become the first Estonian to receive a Champions League runners-up medal. He only made one appearance in the Premier League for the Gunners, keeping a clean sheet in a 0-0 draw with Portsmouth during the 2006/07 season.
Arguably the main benefit of signing Poom was that he later returned to the club as assistant goalkeeping coach. He is currently coaching back in his native Estonia.
4. Yaya Sanogo
7 of 10
Yaya Sanogo has had a strange Arsenal career. Signed as a free agent from Auxerre in 2013, Arsenal fans hoped that Wenger could bring the best out of a striker who had scored goals at every youth level for France.
There were signs of promise in his first season, when he was picked to start matches against Liverpool and Bayern Munich. His second season saw him score his first competitive goal for the club, tucking home the opener in a 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund.
However, injuries and inconsistency saw him knocked down the pecking order. Loan spells with Crystal Palace, Ajax and Charlton Athletic have failed to propel him back into Wenger’s plans.
Although he has yet to make a senior appearance this season, Sanogo is still with Arsenal. His contract expires at the end of the season—perhaps he’ll be making another free-transfer move before too long.
3. Marouane Chamakh
8 of 10
By the time Marouane Chamakh left Arsenal in 2013, his inconsistency in front of goal had made him something of a joke figure. However, it’s easy to forget that he made a blistering start to his Gunners career.
Signed on a free transfer from Girondins de Bordeaux in the summer of 2010, he was recruited to give Arsenal an attacking focal point and a Plan B. His aerial ability and athleticism made him an instant hit, and his first few months in London were characterised by his remarkable work ethic and reliable finishing.
However, he soon went off the boil, and as Robin van Persie began to fulfil his potential, Chamakh saw himself sidelined. Wenger allowed the Moroccan's contract to expire, and he joined Crystal Palace in another free-transfer deal.
2. Mathieu Flamini
9 of 10
Mathieu Flamini is the king of the free transfer. The 32-year-old has made four moves during his career, all at the end of his contract.
He's signed for Arsenal twice. He first joined in 2004 after rejecting a professional contract with Olympique de Marseille. After four years in north London, he moved to AC Milan, and that appeared to be the end of his association with the Gunners.
However, after training with the club as a free agent in 2013, Wenger offered him a second chance. Having left under a cloud in 2008, he seized the opportunity to re-endear himself to the Emirates Stadium faithful.
Flamini was not always the most popular player at Arsenal, but there's no doubt they got enormous value out of a reliable squad member they signed twice without paying any transfer fee—though per BBC Sport, the Gunners did have to pay compensation the first time around.
1. Sol Campbell
10 of 10
Sol Campbell is undoubtedly Arsenal's best free-transfer signing of the Premier League era. Stealing the captain of rivals Tottenham Hotspur alone makes it an extraordinary deal, but when you consider what Campbell won with Arsenal and the defensive colossus he became, it's even more significant.
Like Flamini, Campbell joined on a free transfer twice, returning in January 2010 to complete a remarkable comeback.
Campbell's transfer is not just Arsenal's best free transfer. It is one of the most successful Bosman deals in world football.
.png?w=600 "New NBA Mock Draft 📝")
.jpg?w=600 "Offseason Moves for Every Team 👉")
