Wenger's five best buys ... and five duds

Daily Mail Staff14 April 2012
An eye for exceptional talent: Wenger's best buys

1 Thierry Henry
Signed: August 3, 1999
£8m from Juventus
Current worth: £40m?
The converted winger blossomed into a forward of such quality he was voted the world's second best player

2 Patrick Vieira
Signed: August 14, 1996
£3.5m from AC Milan
Current worth: £30m?
A commanding figure who would grace any midfield, Vieira is the heartbeat of the Arsenal team

3 Nicolas Anelka
Signed: February 22, 1997
£0.5m from PSG
Sold: £23m to Real Madrid
An astute piece of business as the talented but troubled striker was off-loaded for a massive profit

4 Marc Overmars
Signed: June 17, 1997
£7m from Ajax
Sold: £25m to Barcelona
Another integral member of the 1998 Double winning side who Wenger let go when the price was right

5 Freddie Ljungberg
Signed: September 12, 1998
£3m from Halmstad
Current value £12m?
Developed a reputation for coming up with important goals after scoring on his debut against Man United

Five who have not thrived at Highbury

1 Sylvain Wiltord
Signed: August 26, 2000
£13m from Bordeaux
Current worth: £3m?
Rarely convincing since he became Arsenal's record signing, he could leave for nothing in the summer

2 Francis Jeffers
Signed: June 14, 2001
£10m from Everton
Current value: £3m?
A hugh disappointment, the injury-prone striker failed to live up to his billing as being a 'fox in the box'

3 Giovanni van Bronckhorst
Signed: June 19, 2001
£8.5m from Rangers
Current worth: £2.5m?
The Dutch midfielder has been loaned out to Barcelona after failing to nail down a first-team place

4 Gilberto Silva
Signed: August 7, 2002
£4.5m from Atletico Mineiro
Current worth: £4m?
Won the World Cup but the Brazil midfielder looks unsuited to the rigours of the Premiership

5 Richard Wright
Signed: July 5, 2001
£6m from Ipswich Town
Sold: £3.5m to Everton
The one-time England goalkeeper only lasted a season at Highbury after failing to convince

Wenger's transfer spending

Since his appointment in 1996, Arsene Wenger has overseen 55 player transactions:

Outgoing fees: £102.4m
Incoming fees: £84.5m
Net outlay: £17.9m

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