So, for much of the transfer window it looked like it could be another of Arsene Wenger’s “one signing a summer transfer windows” after he bought Granit Xhaka early in the summer before the Euro 2016 had taken place. Gooners were feeling a little optimistic after Xhaka signed that it could be the summer of some serious stengthening but that feeling went away as July and almost all of August passed without more major signings being made.
However this window ultimately proved different to others as Wenger went out and added a serious defensive signing in the form of a World Cup winner also he added a striker in career form plus he added some young potential to the emerging star signing in midfield as well as Rob Holding, Bolton’s player of the year was signed to give options in the centre of defense. So here are le Boss’s In’s and Out’s (current as of 11pm Wednesday 31st August 2016).
IN
Midfielder Granit Xhaka – from Borussia Monchengladbach for £34m
Forward Takuma Asano – from Sanfrecce Hiroshima for undisclosed
Defender Rob Holding – from Bolton for £2m
Forward Lucas Perez – from Deportivo la Coruna for £17.1m
Defender Shkodran Mustafi – from Valencia from £35m
OUT
Forward Serge Gnabry – to Werder Bremen for undisclosed fee
Forward Takuma Asano – to VFB Stuttgart on season long loan
Defender Isaac Hayden – to Newcastle for undisclosed fee
Midfielder Mikel Arteta – retired
Midfielder Tomas Rosicky – released
Midfielder Mathieu Flamini – released
Midfielder Dan Crowley – Oxford United on season long loan
Forward Wellington Silva – to Fluminense for undisclosed fee
Midfielder Jon Toral -to Granada on season long loan
Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny – to Roma on season long loan
Forward Joel Campbell – to Sporting Lisbon on season long loan
Defender Callum Chambers – to Middlesbrough on season long loan
Midfielder Jack Wilshere – to AFC Bournesmouth on season long loan
The biggest shock of the “OUTS” next to selling the skill and potential of Serge Gnabry has to be loaning out Jack Wilshere to Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth outfit. But this might well be good for Wilshere in the long-term as he should get plenty of game time and finally find some rhythm and get over his frustrating run of injuries as he plays for a manager who is forward thinking and likes his team to play football the right way.
So this does seem to have been a different window from the past few as Wenger has addressed almost all of the possible issues in the squad so barring serious injury then he should be covered and have option B to turn to in tight games when he needs a goal.
So at the time of writing of 23:45 on Wednesday August 31st this was the complete list of incoming and out-going transfers at Arsenal Football Club for the 2016-17 season as correlated according to Sky Sports. Changes to come if any.