Rice A, Havertz C: Grading every Arsenal signing this season

James Shearman

• Updated: 25 Apr 2024 17:22 BST
• 3 min read

Arsenal spent €235 million last summer on four high-profile signings: Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber and David Raya.

The aim was to help Mikel Arteta's side get over the line in the Premier League title race, and to compete in the Champions League.

Well, the league remains in the balance with six games to go, and the Gunners were narrowly defeated by Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals in Europe.

So, it is quite difficult to assess how much of an impact the summer signings have had on the team.

Nevertheless, FootballTransfers grades each signing from the 2023-24 season below.

READ MORE: Latest Arsenal transfer rumours

Declan Rice (€117m from West Ham) - Grade: A

The signing of Rice made perfect sense for Arsenal. Physicality, leadership and Premier League experience are just a few of the qualities that he has brought with him from West Ham.

The England international has expertly shielded the league's best defence this season, while also scoring a few important goals. The only reason he isn't an A+ is that, for €117m, this was expected of him.

Kai Havertz (€75m from Chelsea) - Grade: C

Havertz's fantastic performance in the 5-0 win over Chelsea, in which he scored twice, is proof that the German is a top player on his day.

However, if Arsenal go trophyless once more, it will be due in large part to a lack of firepower. Havertz's tendency to miss chances has let the side down at times and one can only assume that had the €75m been spent on a clinical number nine instead, the Gunners would be in a better position.

Jurrien Timber (€40m from Ajax) - Grade: C

Timber made his Arsenal debut in the Community Shield last August, which Arsenal won on penalties against Manchester City. He then started against Nottingham Forest in the opening league game, but suffered an ACL injury in the second half that has kept him out ever since.

Able to play anywhere across the back four, Timber will surely go on to become a very important player in North London. But, it is not possible to grade the 22-year-old any higher than a C at this stage.

David Raya (Loan from Brentford) - Grade: C

Having decided that Aaron Ramsdale was not good enough for a team with title aspirations, Arteta went about finding a replacement last summer. Raya later joined on a season-long loan from Brentford with a mandatory future fee of €31m.

The Spaniard has been a decent addition, overall, but has made a few costly mistakes along the way. It remains debatable whether he has been an upgrade on Ramsdale.