Arsenal have at last confirmed Declan Rice as their marquee signing in the 2023 summer transfer window.
According to Fabrizio Romano, the Gunners' hierarchy submitted a third bid for the West Ham captain said to be worth £100 million ($126m), potentially rising to £105m ($133m). That was enough the persuade the Hammers to sell.
It means the England midfielder has become Arsenal's most expensive signing of all time. He's also surpassed Jack Grealish to hold the British transfer record, although Jude Bellingham will take that crown if all his add-ons are met at Real Madrid. Rice also becomes the second biggest signing made by a Premier League club.
The Sporting News looks at Arsenal's most expensive incomings as Rice tops the list.
MORE: What jersey number will Declan Rice wear at Arsenal?
Arsenal record signing: Top 10 most expensive transfers
Arsenal's record signing is now Declan Rice, who cost an initial fee of £100m/$127m, with £5m/$6.35m in add-ons. In Premier League history, only Enzo Fernandez to Chelsea has cost more (£106.8m/$135.5m).
Before Rice, Arsenal's most expensive signing was Nicolas Pepe, who arrived from Lille in 2019 for a fee of £72 million ($87m).
Since Mikel Arteta has been manager of the north London side, five of his signings have entered the top 10 list for Arsenal's most expensive transfers. Gabriel Jesus moved into the number five spot last summer (now seventh), while Ben White is one of two defenders in the standings.
Arsene Wenger broke Arsenal's transfer record with his final signing, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. In January 2018, the Gabonese striker signed from Borussia Dortmund for £55.1m/$69.5m.
New signing Kai Havertz, who joined from Chelsea this week, is now in third place ahead of Aubameyang.
Top 10 Arsenal record signings
| Player | Signed from | Date | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Declan Rice | West Ham | July, 2023 | £105m/$134m |
| Nicolas Pepe | Lille | Aug., 2019 | £72m/$87.3m |
| Kai Havertz | Chelsea | June, 2023 | £65m/$82m |
| Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang | B. Dortmund | Jan., 2018 | £55.1m/$69.6m |
| Ben White | Brighton | July, 2021 | £50.6m/$63.9m |
| Alexandre Lacazette | Lyon | July, 2017 | £45.8m/$57.8m |
| Gabriel Jesus | Man City | July, 2022 | £45.1m/$57m |
| Thomas Partey | Atletico | Oct., 2020 | £43.2m/$54.6m |
| Mesut Ozil | R. Madrid | Sep., 2013 | £40.6m/$51.3m |
| Granit Xhaka | Gladbach | May, 2016 | £38.9m/$49.1m |
MORE: Premier League biggest transfers: Enzo Fernandez Chelsea move remains top
Arsenal transfer spending under Stan Kroenke
Stan Kroenke, the owner and chairman of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE), became a stakeholder at Arsenal in May 2007 but became majority shareholder in April 2011. In 2018, KSE acquired 100 per cent ownership of the club.
The owners were under a lot pressure from the fans for a long time due Arsenal's activity in the transfer market. Despite protests occurring outside the stadium, the relationship between the two is now a lot better as Arsenal are once again challenging for the big titles.
Here is how Arsenal have bought and sold in transfer windows since April 2011.
| Season | Transfer fees spent | Transfer fees received |
|---|---|---|
| 2023/24 | £194.5m/$226.6m | £25.7m/$30m |
| 2022/23 | £165.1/$192.3m | £20.4m/$23.8m |
| 2021/22 | £144.6m/$182.7m | £27.1m/$34.3m |
| 2020/21 | £74.3m/$93.9m | £16.5m/$20.9m |
| 2019/20 | £138.9m/$175.5m | £46.3m/$58.6m |
| 2018/19 | £69.22m/$87.5m | £7.9m/$9.9m |
| 2017/18 | £132m/$166.9m | £139.9m/$176.8m |
| 2016/17 | £97.6m/$123.3m | £8.9m/$11.3m |
| 2015/16 | £22.9m/$28.9m | £2.2m/$2.7m |
| 2014/15 | £102.7m/$129.9m | £24m/$30.3m |
| 2013/14 | £42.5m/$53.7m | £10.5m/$13.3m |
| 2012/13 | £48.4m/$61.1m | £56.9m/$71.9m |
| 2011/12 | £56.5m/£71.5m | £67.6m/$85.4m |
Premier League 2023/24 TV channels, live streams
MORE: Watch every Premier League match in Canada on Fubo
| Region | TV | Streaming |
| Australia | — | Optus Sport |
| Canada | — | |
| Hong Kong | — | Now TV |
| India | Star Sports | Disney+, Hotstar, JioTV |
| Malaysia | Astro SuperSport | Astro Go |
| New Zealand | Sky Sport | Sky Sport Now, Sky Go |
| Singapore | StarHub | StarHub TV+ |
| UK | Sky Sports, TNT Sports | NOW TV, Sky Go, Amazon Prime |
| USA | USA Network, Telemundo, Universo |
Fubo, Peacock |
UK: Matches are carried across Sky Sports and TNT Sports streaming and TV platforms, with select matches on Amazon Prime.
USA: Select matches are televised on USA Network (English) and Telemundo or Universo (Spanish), and all three channels can be streamed on Fubo. The rest of the matches are streamed on NBC platform Peacock for subscribers.
Canada: Every Premier League game this season is live streaming exclusively via Fubo in Canada.
Australia: Fans in Australia can stream every match live and on demand on Optus Sport.
India: Star Sports network has the rights to show Premier League matches in India. As well as an English broadcast on Star Sports Select, select matches will be available via regional feeds on Star Sports 3 (in Bengali, English, Kannada, Malayalam), Star Sports 1 (Bangla) and Star Sports 1 (Tamil).