The January transfer window is finally over and Arsenal did some serious business during the frantic period. Six players left the team to try their luck at other clubs, and three new signings made their way to the Emirates stadium to further their careers under veteran manager, Arsene Wenger.
The biggest news was the departure of Alexis Sanchez to Manchester United in a swap deal for Henrikh Mkhitaryan. The Chilean had experienced some turbulent times recently for Arsenal and it wasn’t a huge surprise to see him exit the club. What shocked most football fans was his choice of destination, considering a deal with cross-town rivals Manchester City looked all but done. He will be sorely missed at the Emirates, but Mkhitaryan has huge potential and fans are looking forward to seeing what he can do for the club.
The Armenia international arrived on a three-year deal and said he was extremely excited about working under new boss Wenger. He often struggled for game time at Manchester United under manager Jose Mourinho, and said the decision to move was an easy one once the opportunity presented itself. The attacking forward said he is looking forward to playing offensive football on the pitch and winning trophies in the future.
The team left it late for their biggest acquisition of the transfer window, signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund just before the signing period closed. His transfer fee of £56m eclipses the £46.5m they paid for French striker Alexandre Lacazette in July and shows that the team is now ready to bring in some of the more expensive players in Europe. Fans are obviously excited to see what he can bring to the club after some mouth-watering performances during his time at the German club.
In his 241 games for the club, he hit the back of the net a staggering 141 times, including scoring 21 goals in 24 matches this season. In 2016 he was awarded the Bundesliga player of the year and was last year’s top scorer in the competition with a very tidy 31 goals. He’s also played 56 times for his native country Gabon, and netted a devastating 23 times showing how lethal he is in the goal area.
There’s no denying how clinical he is upfront, and he could be the player that delivers some much-needed spark in front of goal for the Gunners. Aubameyang may be the player that can get them moving in the right direction again, and bring back Champions League football to the club next season.
The Gunners also signed Konstantinos Mavopanos from PAS Giannina for £1.8m. The youngster from Greece is only 20 years old and was the first signing made by Arsenal’s new head of recruitment, Sven Mislintat. The Greece U21 international is expected to play in the U23s with the club hoping he will be trying to crack into the first team next season. He is considered on the of the brightest young talents in his home country, and standing at six-foot-four his physical stature will no doubt be a valuable attribute in the Premier League.
Arsenal now look forward to the remainder of the season as they try to snatch one of those sought after top four places. Hopefully, for the squad, these new players will have a long and successful career at the club and flourish at their new home.
