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Alexandre Lacazette's £44m move sets new Arsenal record - 10 Gunners transfer fees over a century

Sport360 staff 12:41 06/07/2017
New Gunner: Lacazette.

Arsenal have broken their transfer record by spending what Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas says is close to €50 million euros (£44 million) on striker Alexandre Lacazette.

Here’s a look at how the Arsenal transfer record has evolved over the last century.

ARCHIE DEVINE – FEBRUARY 1913, £1,000

Signed from Bradford in a vain bid to avoid relegation in the 1912-13 season, Scotland midfielder Devine scored five goals in 24 games and worked as a miner and dockyard worker after his playing days were over.

DAVID JACK – OCTOBER 1928, £10,890

Figures vary over the exact amount that Arsenal paid for England striker Jack, who would prove a sensation with 124 goals in 208 games.

But it was the first five-digit signing in world football – almost double the previous record – and legend has it that Arsenal boss Herbert Chapman got the Bolton negotiators drunk to bring the fee down.

PETER MARINELLO – JANUARY 1970, £100,000

The Scottish winger was dubbed “the next George Best ” on joining from Hibernian and the 19-year-old scored on his debut at Manchester United.

But he rarely hit those heights again and left for Portsmouth in 1973 after only five goals and 51 games.

MALCOLM MACDONALD – JULY 1976, £333,333

Eclipsing the £220,000 spent on Alan Ball in 1971, Arsenal paid the unusual sum of £333,333.34 on Newcastle striker Macdonald five years later.

‘Supermac’ won the Golden Boot in 1977 and played 14 times for England before a knee injury cut his career short.

CLIVE ALLEN – JUNE 1980, £1.25M

The striker joined from QPR to become Arsenal’s first £1m player.

Featured in three matches during Arsenal’s 1980-81 pre-season, but he did not play a single competitive match for the Gunners before moving to Crystal Palace in a shock swap deal with full-back Kenny Sansom.

DAVID SEAMAN – MAY 1990, £1.3M

Arsenal took nearly a decade to raise the bar again, but when they did it was a world transfer record for a goalkeeper.

Seaman went on to make 325 Premier League appearances and play more in goal for the Gunners than anyone else.

IAN WRIGHT – SEPTEMBER 1991, £2.5M

Arsenal’s first £2m player was a larger than life character signed from Crystal Palace after coming out of non-league.

The England striker broke Cliff Bastin’s club scoring record with 185 goals in 286 appearances before joining West Ham in 1998.

DENNIS BERGKAMP – JUNE 1995, £7.5M

The last time Arsenal broke the British transfer record (it only stood for a few days as Liverpool paid £8.5m for Stan Collymore ), the Gunners got their money’s worth.

The Dutchman’s goals and assists played a central role in the club’s success under Arsene Wenger.


THIERRY HENRY – AUGUST 1999, £11M

Another outstanding piece of transfer business as Henry joined from Juventus.

Became the club’s all-time leading scorer with 228 goals in all competitions before moving on to Barcelona for 24m euros (at the time equivalent to £16m) in 2007.

MESUT OZIL – SEPTEMBER 2013, £38.2M

The signing of Ozil, which had the potential to rise by a further £4.3m in add-ons, from Real Madrid almost tripled the previous £15m record purchase of Andrei Arshavin in 2009.

But the Germany playmaker has divided opinion in his four seasons in north London.

Provided by Press Association

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