Arsenal's 10 biggest sales of all time

Arsenal's 10 biggest sales of all time Make us your Google favourite Arsenal are one of the most successful teams in English football, but even they have to accept that sometimes key players want to seek pastures new. Their rich history is peppered with star names deciding to draw a line under their time in north London, raking in sizeable amounts of money as a result. However, some of those players have ended up joining Premier League rivals - a bitter pill for a passionate, devoted fanbase to swallow. Below, sources lists the 10 most expensive sales in Arsenal's history. 10. Eddie Nketiah - €29.7m (to Crystal Palace, 2024) Eddie Nketiah left Arsenal after failing to establish himself as a reliable number nine. Nketiah, who came through the Gunners' famed youth system, needed a change of scenery as a result and so the striker joined Crystal Palace in August 2024. However, those goalscoring woes have persisted at Palace, with Nketiah scoring just five Premier League goals in his first two seasons (2024-25 and 2025-26) at the club. Thank you @arsenal ❤️ As I say goodbye, I want to take this time to say thank you to everyone at the club, from my teammates to all the wonderful staff who have been a part of my journey and have made this place home for so many years. Thank you Gooners. Eddie pic.twitter.com/n5K4RRJFn4 — Eddie Nketiah 📞 (@EddieNketiah9) August 30, 2024 9. Folarin Balogun - €30m (to Monaco, 2023) After a successful loan spell with Ligue 1 side Reims in 2022-23, Folarin Balogun returned to Arsenal looking to kick on in his career. However, manager Mikel Arteta already had Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus and Nketiah as forward options, meaning Balogun was at the bottom of the pecking order. The United States international was not content with a bench-warmer role, however, and sought an exit, with Monaco winning the race to sign him. Thank you, for the warm welcome in the capital! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/A8qJVNPoq9 — Balogun (@balogun) July 19, 2023 8. Alex Iwobi - €30.4m (to Everton, 2019) Alex Iwobi was an Arsenal regular by the time he left to join Everton, but the Gunners were more than happy to cash in after receiving a good offer for his services. The academy graduate made 149 appearances for Arsenal, scoring in the 4-1 loss to Chelsea in the 2019 Europa League final, his last game for the club. Iwobi played a major role in keeping Everton in the Premier League in 2022-23, recording seven assists as the Toffees finished 17th in the table. On this day in 2016... Alex Iwobi bagged his first Gunners goal at Emirates Stadium 💫 pic.twitter.com/dURqv85jIC — Arsenal (@Arsenal) April 2, 2026 7. Robin van Persie - €30.7m (to Man Utd, 2012) Robin van Persie established himself as Arsenal’s most important player and one of the best strikers in the world before deciding to move on in search of silverware. After Van Persie announced he would not be signing a contract extension in July 2012, Arsenal reluctantly agreed to sell the Netherlands star to fierce rivals Manchester United. Van Persie would go on to win his first Premier League title with United in 2012-13, scoring an incredible 26 goals in 38 games under Sir Alex Ferguson. Volleys don't get much better than this! 🚀 Today, we're compiling 10 of our best volleys - but which goals would you like to see make the final edit? 🤔 This classic was pretty hard to ignore... 🤭 pic.twitter.com/V0SRO2PrtQ — Arsenal (@Arsenal) March 18, 2020 6. Emile Smith Rowe - €31.8m (to Fulham, 2024) Emile Smith Rowe was regarded as one of the best talents to ever emerge from Arsenal's Hale End academy when making his senior debut in September 2018. The attacking midfielder would go on to star for the Gunners in 2021/22, scoring 10 Premier League goals that season, only for injury to halt his progress in north London. Smith Rowe never managed to regain his place in the starting eleven, however, and joined Fulham in August 2024 after two years on Arsenal's bench. What a year 💫 Thank you for all your support.🤍 pic.twitter.com/3aDUNT3k04 — Emile Smith Rowe (@emilesmithrowe) December 31, 2021 5. Cesc Fabregas - €34m (to Barcelona, 2011) After emerging through their youth system as a teenager, Cesc Fabregas went on to become one of the best midfielders in Premier League history with Arsenal. However, having originally joined the Gunners' youth ranks from Barcelona, there was a fear Fabregas would return to them at some point, which he did