Arsenal FC: Power Ranking the Gunners' 9 Signings This Summer

Arsenal started off the summer very slow in the transfer market, waiting for quite a long time before making significant moves. 

Arsene Wenger was under immense pressure from fans to splash the cash after a disappointing end to the season, but the first few months of the summer saw only a few new faces arrive at the Emirates.

After the Gunners were victim to an 8-2 thrashing from Manchester United at Old Trafford, it seemed that the inevitable thing for Wenger to do was to finally dip into the transfer market to make up for his squad's lack of depth and quality.

Well, he did exactly that. Since the defeat, Wenger has added a whopping five new players to Arsenal's roster. All in all, the Frenchman ended up making nine transfers this summer, a significantly larger amount of signings than he's done in recent seasons.

Some singings were much better than others, so here are Arsenal's 2011 summer signings power ranked.

9. Carl Jenkinson

Carl Jenkinson is at the bottom of this list, but only for now.

The former Charlton defender has only played a handful of competitive matches for Arsenal and two of those were against Liverpool and Manchester United, so it's awfully hard to judge his talent based on those performances. Yes, he was woefully exposed against the likes of Stewart Downing and Nani, but his marking and tackling will only improve–after all, he is only 19 years old.

However, in other matches against Udinese, Jenkinson was impressive, especially with his runs forward. He was effective in attack, making intelligent runs and passes. His defending was mediocre, but he's definitely got the attacking element of a right back down.

I'll be a lot more comfortable with Bacary Sagna as the Gunners' right back, but Jenkinson is a promising prospect for the future and could prove to be a solid signing by Wenger.

8. Joel Campbell

This is a signing that really went under the radar.

At one point this summer a number of clubs were in the race to sign this 19-year-old, but in the end it was the Gunners who came out on top. However, Campbell is now out on loan to Lorient for the entire season, which makes sense because the Costa Rican international needs first team experience in order to start playing regularly for Arsenal in two or three year's time.

Campbell has already been dubbed as the next Thierry Henry, something that probably convinced Wenger to snap the youngster up from Deportivo Saprissa. 

Campbell may not be the most exciting signing now, but in a few years time this player could be lighting up North London.

7. Andre Santos

After Gael Clichy left for Manchester City, it seemed apparent that Arsenal would need to sign a left back since Kieran Gibbs and Armand Traore the Gunners' only options for the position.

Wenger insisted that his side didn't need to sign a replacement for Clichy. However, the Arsenal boss changed his mind after Traore left for QPR and he was left with only the injury-prone Gibbs. So, with only a few days left in the transfer window, Wenger bought Andre Santos from Fenerbache, the Brazilian left back with loads of attacking flair.

Santos' attacking is apparently the only thing he boasts, as it's been said that his defending is simply mediocre and he sometimes suffers from lapses in concentration.

The most frustrating thing is that for the 6.2 million pounds that Arsenal spent on Santos, they could have bought Jose Enrique from Newcastle.

Nonetheless, Santos is internationally qualified and will hopefully prove to be a reliable left back in the Arsenal side.

6. Chu Young-Park

Chu Young-Park was a solid signing by Wenger, but nothing for Arsenal fans to get ecstatic about.

The reason why the Arsenal boss added Chu to his squad was simply because he knew that he'd be short on personnel at some periods this season. In January, both Gervinho and Chamakh will be at the Africa Cup of Nations, so Wenger wanted to add a striker to his ranks in order to have more attacking options and a reliable backup for Robin Van Persie.

However, that's not to say that Chu isn't a talented forward. He's a superb finisher and if there's a loose ball in the box then he's the man that's going to slam a shot past the keeper. As the captain of South Korea, he'll bring some leadership and experience to the Arsenal dressing room. In theory, he's actually a solid signing for a mere 3 million pounds.

I still wouldn't get too excited. The fact that he's South Korean means that in two and a half years he needs to return home for military duty, which frankly is a bummer both for Arsenal and for Chu's career.

Let's hope the former AS Monaco striker can end his career on a high note at the Emirates and knock in some goals for the North London outfit.

5. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

After being linked with Gunners for quite some time, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain finally completed his move to North London this summer.

Although his 12 million pound price tag wasn't cheap, signing the winger was a very good move by Arsene Wenger. Chamberlain is clearly talented, and has already been dubbed as the next Theo Walcott due to his blistering pace and dribbling abilities. 

However, many have been quick to point out that Chamberlain has only proved himself in the third tier of English football—he hasn't even played in the Championship, let alone the Premier League. I agree, Chamberlain is unproven in the top flight, but we also have to remember that he's only 18 years old.

Still, that's a very young age to already be included in the Coca-Cola League One Team of the Year. With playing time and development from Wenger, Chamberlain could easily be one of the best wingers in the Premier League in a few years time.

He might not be breaking into the first team any time soon, but Chamberlain has raw talent and is an extremely promising prospect for the future of Arsenal.

4. Yossi Benayoun (Loan)

This was a fantastic signing by Wenger.

Benayoun was being chased by several clubs on deadline day and for once it was Arsenal who nabbed this experienced attacking midfielder. The Israeli international was signed on a season-long loan for the North London outfit in order to help bring more creativity to Arsenal's midfield and Benayoun could really end up being a signing that saves the Gunners' season.

Not only does he bring creativity, but at 31 years old, Benayoun brings experience to Arsenal's midfield. He's arguably been Chelsea's most impressive player in preseason, to the extent where it was actually surprising that the Blues let him go to Premier League rivals.

One of the biggest deadline day signings and one of Arsenal's best signings of the summer.

3. Mikel Arteta

This was an absolutely huge signing by Wenger and arguably the biggest signing in this year's deadline day.

After Arsenal had already brought in three players in just a few days, there were slim hopes for Arsenal fans that Wenger would bring in any more players to help fill the gap left from Fabregas' departure.

But in the dying minutes of the summer transfer window, it seemed that Arsenal had gotten in the sufficient paperwork in order to sign Mikel Arteta. Amid some dark times for the North London club, it was a very bright day for Arsenal fans.

Sure, Arteta is a step down from Fabregas, but is there really any midfielder Arsenal can afford that's a step up from the former Gunners skipper? The former Everton skipper is one of the most underrated midfielders in the Premier League and immediately brings some valuable qualities to Arsenal.

First, and most importantly, Arteta brings creativity to Arsenal's central midfield. He was the engine of Everton's attacks, and when surrounded by quality players at Arsenal he can now be the Gunners' attacking engine.

The North London outfit are also currently lacking a skilled crosser, but Arteta will finally solve that problem, as the Spaniard's crosses are almost always placed with precision and accuracy.

Second, Arteta brings set-piece expertise to the Arsenal squad. Although Robin van Persie is a solid set-piece taker for the Gunners, his poor penalty against Manchester United revealed that he may not be able to handle the pressure of taking set-pieces successfully when faced with a tough situation. On the other hand, Arteta keeps his composure when taking free-kicks and penalties and can score from them on a regular basis.

Lastly, Arteta bring some experience to the Arsenal squad. He's 29 years old and has six years of Premier League experience under his belt. He was the captain at Everton, so his presence in midfield will bring leadership as well as creativity.

Overall, Mikel Arteta was an excellent signing by Arsene Wenger and Arsenal fans are dying to see him play against Swansea next weekend.

2. Per Mertesacker

Finally! At long last, Arsene Wenger has signed a centre back.

But not just any centre back. For once, it wasn't an Under-21 defender from the second tier of French football or an unproven youngster found playing for his school. No, Arsenal fans finally got a break with the signing of Per Mertesacker.

Mertesacker is the absolute perfect signing for Arsenal. At 6'6", this player in Arsenal's back four means the Gunners' trouble defending set-pieces are long gone. He's got an excellent defensive header, but also has a strong attacking header and has scored from the air several times.

One of the most valuable things Mertesacker brings to Arsenal's back line is experience. 26-year-old Mertesacker has spent a whopping eight seasons in the Bundesliga, making 221 appearances and scoring 19 times—a respectable tally for a centre back. The former Werder Bremen captain also has experience in European competition, making a total of 53 appearances in the Europa League and Champions League, leading his side to the Europa League final in 2009.

Mertesacker is a regular in the German national team, making 75 appearances including runs to the World Cup semifinal in 2006 and 2010.

This was a superb transfer for Arsenal and a huge boost to their silverware aspirations. Per Mertesacker is the signing that Arsenal desperately needed.

1. Gervinho

With all of Arsenal's deadline day madness—bringing in four players in one day—I bet you weren't expecting Gervinho to take the No. 1 spot on this list.

But really, who else would it be? Gervinho is the only player who's proved himself so far at Arsenal, blending in seamlessly with the rest of the squad and having no trouble playing "the Arsenal way."

With Gervinho in the Arsenal squad, the Gunners' wing play is significantly better. Usually Arsenal's attacks form from the center, but against Udinese Gervinho was the driving force in Arsenal's attacks from the wing, eventually assisting the crucial goal that sparked the Gunners' comeback.

The Ivory Coast international is a versatile attacker too, so when Arsenal are short on personnel he can play on either wing, centrally or up front as a center forward.

His suspension was unfortunate, but Arsenal fans are really looking forward to Gervinho's return and watching him play regularly for the rest of the season.

Arsene Wenger replaced Samir Nasri surprisingly well and Gervinho will undoubtedly be a key player in Arsenal's quest for silverware this season.