Arsenal, a team once known for penny-pinching and refusing to spend too extravagantly under the management of Arsène Wenger, have since become far more liberal in their spending in recent years.
However, while the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea have seen their enormous spending sprees amount to nothing, the Gunners have been transformed from a team fighting to finish eighth to one in their third Premier League title race in as many years.
Moreover, the North Londoners are still not quite as happy to splash the cash as some of their nearest competitors, as this summer they spent under £100m, which was a dramatic reduction in their spending compared to last summer.
In 2023, Arsenal went all out to secure the services of several top-class players, including Jurrien Timber, but before they settled on the Ajax star, they were reportedly keen on another defender who would go on to join Tottenham Hotspur.
Arsenal's 2023 summer transfer window
Last summer, Arsenal spent over £200m on transfers for the first time in their history, £105m of which went towards the capture of West Ham United captain Declan Rice.
The Englishman is far and away the Gunners’ record transfer, but that pressure hasn’t impacted him, as in the year and a bit since his arrival, the 25-year-old has shown just why he was worth every penny, making 63 appearances across all competitions, scoring eight goals, providing 12 assists and making it into the PFA Team of the Year.
The second most expensive addition last summer, Kai Havertz, cost about £65m, and while he struggled early on, he has also become an integral part of Arteta’s team.
For example, while he’s scored just six goals and provided no assists in 33 midfield appearances, the German has been incredibly effective up top, scoring 13 goals and providing eight assists in 29 games, equating to a goal involvement every 1.38 games.
Lastly, Timber joined Arteta’s North London title chasers from Ajax for around £38m following a brilliant campaign with the Amsterdam club in which he made 47 appearances, scored two goals and provided two assists.
However, following an impressive preseason, the Utrecht-born defender suffered an ACL injury in the season’s opening game against Nottingham Forest and wouldn’t return to the team until the final match of the campaign against Everton.
Fortunately, while he’s suffered a few minor knocks this year, the “elite” international, as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, has remained relatively fit and, in his ten appearances thus far, has shown the supporters how effective he can be across the backline.
However, before the club settled on signing Timber in 2023, they were supposedly keen on another Dutch defender, someone who went on to play for Spurs.
Arsenal's interest in Micky van de Ven
Yes, it might surprise some, but in early 2023, Arsenal were supposedly keen on then-Wolfsburg defender Micky van de Ven.
In fact, according to a report from German journalist Christian Falk in March of last year, the Gunners were one of many clubs scouting the Dutchman, alongside Liverpool, Manchester City, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Juventus, AC Milan and Roma.
However, as we all know, the Wormer-born “freak”, as podcaster Michael Caley dubbed him for his outlandish pace, went on to join the other team in North London for around £43m: Spurs.
Since then, the 23-year-old has established himself as arguably the most crucial defender at the club.
His sensational speed, which saw him break the Premier League sprint record last season, has allowed Ange Postecoglou to persist with his aggressive high-line.
Appearances
48
41
39
Goals
2
1
3
Assists
2
3
2
Goal Involvements per Match
0.08
0.09
0.12
However, the “dominant” centre-back, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has one significant issue that could hamper his career in the long term: injuries.
Since the start of the 21/22 season, the ten-capped international has injured his hamstring on four occasions – including against Manchester City this week – and while that could be chalked up to bad luck, it does seem like his explosive pace makes him susceptible to such issues.
Ultimately, Van de Ven is an undeniably talented player and someone who would probably have helped make Arsenal even stronger thanks to his unique skill set, but considering how well Timber has played for the Gunners and his compatriot’s worrying hamstring problem, Arteta probably signed the right Dutchman in 2023.
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