Arsenal’s best free transfers of all time

Robin Bairner

• 1 Nov 2024 10:21 CDT
• 4 min read

Arsenal have not been a club that has regularly dipped into the market for free transfers, despite having a reputation for being frugal.

A cursory glance at the list of players that have signed for the Emirates side for nothing might explain why they have not done it more regularly. The likes of Marouane Chamakh, Stephan Lichtsteiner, Willian and Yaya Sanogo have all ended up as comprehensive disappointments.

Amid these deals that have not worked out, there have been several, though, that have proven more fruitful – the majority of which were back in the club’s Arsene Wenger heyday.

Sylvinho (from Corinthians)

When Sylvinho moved to Arsenal from Corinthians in 1999, the Premier League was still something of a foreign place to Brazilians. England’s top flight has long been adorned by players from the South American country now, but that was not so much the case when the left-back moved to Highbury. Indeed, he was the club’s first player from the country.

Although he stayed with Arsenal on a couple of years, he proved to be a successful acquisition, displacing Nigel Winterburn, who was the club’s long-time left-back, and earning a place in the 2000/01 PFA Team of the Season.

Sol Campbell (from Tottenham)

Sol Campbell’s move across north London was one of the most controversial transfers of the early Bosman era, with the decision of the centre-back to leave White Hart Lane for Highbury one that saw him branded ‘Judas’ by the Spurs support.

Campbell spent five years with the Gunners and became a centrepiece of their defence. He was a titanic figure as they went undefeated through the 2003/04 ‘Invincible’ season, after which he earned a spot in the PFA Team of the Year.

Furthermore, he achieved Champions League immortality by scoring in the 2006 Champions League final and was a part of a Gunners defence that went a record 995 minutes without conceding in the competition.

Mathieu Flamini (from Milan)

Flamini’s second spell at Arsenal, which began in 2013, came about almost accidentally. Having been released by Milan, he was training at the club where he had featured for four years earlier in his career. With Wenger’s squad lacking in numbers, he was invited to sign permanently.

The Frenchman flourished for several months and was a key reason why they managed to finish in the top four. His second season since returning, meanwhile, was less spectacular, but he still managed a double in a 2-2 League Cup draw with Tottenham.

He left for Crystal Palace the following summer.

Sead Kolasinac (from Schalke)

That Bosnia international Sead Kolasinac makes this list is down to Arsenal’s struggles in the free transfer market more than the quality of the left-back. He was often criticised by Gunners fans but did make an exceptionally strong start to life at the Emirates Stadium, scoring on his official debut against Chelsea in the 2017 Community Shield.

He managed to play over 100 times for the club in all competitions but fell into obscurity under Mikel Arteta and was loaned to Schalke before being allowed to leave for Marseille in 2021.

Cedric Soares (from Southampton)

Portugal international Cedric Soares joined the club in 2020 after spending six months on loan from Southampton.

A right-back who is also capable of covering the left side of the field, he proved useful as a squad player, particularly when Kieran Tierney suffered numerous injury issues.

His experience also proved important in a squad packed with young players. He departed in the summer of 2024.