Arsenal new boss Unai Emery will have just £50m to spend this summer, however, he has significant success when the purse strings are tightened.
We’ve taken a look at his transfer record and picked out five occasions when he worked his magic. The question is, can he repeat that with the Gunners?
Roberto Soldado Getafe to Valencia for £9m
Soldado who flopped at Tottenham in 2013 went from a solid La Liga forward to one of Europe’s finest upon moving to the Mestalla. At a time when Barcelona was shelling out £40m to sign David Villa, Emery’s capture of the Spaniard for less than a quarter of the price was a snip. He netted 52 of his 82 goals at Valencia under Emery’s tutelage, allowing the cash-strapped Los Che to offload him for over three times what they originally paid.
Ever Banega Valencia to Sevilla for £2.25m
Having played a starring role at Valencia under Emery, the coach wasted little time reuniting with the Argentina international upon arriving at Sevilla. Just a year into his tenure at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium he moved for the diminutive midfielder for a modest fee of £2.25m. Banega played a central role in Sevilla’s back-to-back Europa League successes, making 91 appearances over his two seasons back alongside Emery.
Steven N’Zonzi Stoke City to Sevilla for £7.2m
Another modest Premier League player who came alive under Emery. Inconsistent during spells at Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City, his arrival at Sevilla saw the towering midfielder develop into a key figure in the club’s 2015-16 Europa League win. Such has been his transformation into a more rounded midfielder, Arsenal fans are already calling on Emery to make N’Zonzi his first addition in north London.
Kevin Gameiro PSG to Sevilla for £6.75mGameiro did plunder 67 goals in 145 games under Emery at Sevilla but it was the manner in which he functioned effectively under the tactician which defined his three-season spell. His most telling intervention proved to be his last as he scored the crucial equalizer in the Europa League final in 2016 against Liverpool less than a minute after the restart, to spark a second-half comeback.
Vitolo From Las Palmas to Sevilla for £2.88m
Vitolo has gone on to win a fourth Europa League in five seasons but Arsenal’s players should take note of how he segued his way into Emery’s heart through tenacity alone.